Whether by design or circumstance, the USAF—normally the king of the show—was not present at this year’s annual Waterkloof Air show, held Sept. 18-22 in South Africa. The show is usually dominated by U.S./NATO “air power” heavyweights—the huge C-17 jumbo transport and partner, the in-flight refueling tanker planes, along with the deadly MQ-9 Reaper drone. The absence of the leading NATO component allowed room for the Chinese (normally there, but playing “second fiddle") to steal the show.
As described by South Africa’s DefenseWeb, “At the Waterkloof show last week there was no official U.S. presence, due to either ‘sabotage or incompetence,’ as the Democratic Alliance (DA) said in a statement. The U.S. was snubbed by South Africa and withdrew from the show. This could have been to give China pride of place at the show...
“As much as they are about sales, defense shows are also about military diplomacy. It is those who want to be friends who come and display their wares at the national shows, which are held almost across the world. And this year China upstaged all the exhibitors at Waterkloof.
“The U.S. had been snubbed, and China has taken home the award for the biggest and best at the show.”
The exact reason the U.S. backed out of the show is a matter of hot debate, but available information points to Defense Minister Angie Motshekga (perhaps working in collusion with like-minded partners in the South African Defense Forces), who “slow walked” the U.S. invitation until it was too late to process, at which point the U.S. withdrew its application. In their coverage, DefenseWeb points to a “possible clash between the foreign affairs and defense departments.”
The opposition DA is furious at the snub.
