2 Squadron, The Flying Cheetahs
Updated: Aug 15
By Garth Calitz
The squadron was formed on 1 October 1940 and participated as part of the 1 Bomber Brigade in the North and East African Campaign. It later engaged in operations in Sicily, Italy, and Yugoslavia.
The Flying Cheetahs remain the only South African Airforce Squadron to have participated in every combat action involving the SAAF, giving them a long and distinguished history.
During World War II, 2 Squadron operated the following aircraft:
The Hawker Hartebeest, a variant of the Hawker Audax, modified to meet South African needs.
The Hawker Fury was a swift and nimble aircraft, becoming the first interceptor in RAF service to exceed speeds of 200 mph. It served as the fighter counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.
The Gloster Gauntlet was a British biplane fighter with a single seat, designed and manufactured by Gloster Aircraft in the 1930s. It was the last RAF fighter to feature an open cockpit and was the second-to-last biplane fighter to remain in service.
The Gloster Gladiator II was the final biplane fighter aircraft and became outdated due to the emergence of newer monoplane designs.
The Hawker Hurricane is a single-seat fighter aircraft designed and primarily manufactured by Hawker Aircraft.
The Tomahawk IIIB, a variant of the Curtiss P-40, was in operation from June 1941 to May 1942 and was the squadron's first non-British aircraft. Subsequently, the Kittyhawk I and Kittyhawk III, also P-40 variants, were introduced. Eventually, the Supermarine Spitfire Vc and IX replaced the Kittyhawks.
The squadron participated in the United Nations war effort during the Korean War from November 1950 to December 1953. 2 Squadron was assigned to the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing of the U.S. Air Force throughout the conflict. Initially operating the P-51 Mustang, the squadron transitioned to the F-86 Sabre in February 1953. Over the course of the war, the squadron completed 12,067 sorties, most of which were hazardous ground attack missions. A total of 74 of the 94 Mustangs and 4 of the 22 Sabres were lost, along with 34 pilots.
For its service, the squadron was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, the United States Presidential Unit Citation, and numerous other honors and decorations.
Following the Korean War, the Squadron was supplied with a shipment of Canadair Sabre Mk.6s, along with the De Havilland Vampire.
The transition to the new Mirage III took place in 1963, and the Angolan conflict began four years later in 1967. The squadron participated in several battles during the South-West Africa/Angola Border War. In 1978, 2 Squadron relocated again, this time establishing AFB Hoedspruit in the then Eastern Transvaal as their base. The Border War concluded in 1989, and the following year the squadron was re-equipped, replacing the Mirages with the Atlas Cheetah C’s and D’s. Although the Cheetahs were never used in combat, they participated in numerous joint exercises with foreign air forces.
A particularly notable exercise took place with the German Luftwaffe in 2006, during which 40 live V3S "Snake" short-range air-to-air missiles were fired at the Denel Overberg Test Range.
In January 1993, 2 Squadron relocated to Louis Trichardt (now AFB Makhado) and became the only front-line combat jet squadron in the SAAF. On April 2, 2008, the last Cheetah C and D aircraft were retired. Later that month, the first new JAS 39 Gripen arrived. The squadron accepted its first Gripen D, and the final two Gripen D aircraft arrived in South Africa in July 2009. The first two Gripen Cs arrived on February 11, 2010. The squadron operates all of the SAAF's Gripens, except for the first Gripen D, which is allocated to the Test Flight and Development Centre at AFB Overberg.
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