TFASA Denies US Claims of Military Tech Exports Amid Rising Naval Exercise Controversy

• The US accused South Africa of illegally exporting technology to train the Chinese military
• Tensions rise over South Africa's naval exercises with Iran, Russia, and China amid US scrutiny
• TFASA spoke up and denied allegations of transferring NATO expertise to China amidst investigations

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

UNITED STATES — The United States Department of Justice took action against two mission crew trainers (MCTs) from the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) who were enroute to China to train the Chinese army, the People's Liberation Army. The department filed forfeiture complaints on 15 January 2025 and seized the MCTs.

In a statement the Federal Bureau of Investigation shared on its @FBI X account on 16 January, the Department said that the MCTs are mobile classrooms which were intended to train the Chinese military on the use of anti-submarine warfare aircraft and the use of airborne warning.

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USA department files complaint against TFASA

The US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A. Eisenberg, accused TFASA of being an enabler of the Chinese naval and air forces. He added that it was a pipeline for transferring North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) aviation expertise, operational knowledge, and restricted technology directly to the Chinese army.

Eisenberg also alleged that TFASA illegally exported US military flight simulator technology and recruited former NATO pilots to train the Chinese military, which jeopardizes US national security and risks American service members' lives.

The Department said that the MCTs were designed using software originating in the United States. They were designed to assist the PLA in locating and tracking US submarines in the Pacific and were modelled after the P-8 Poseidon, designed by Boeing and serving as the US's main anti-submarine warfare maritime patrol aircraft. The Department added that the US government will investigate TFASA.

Read the full X statement here:

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TFASA responds to allegations

TFASA released a statement that Darren Olivier shared on his @darren_olivier X account. The company rejected the allegations and denied transferring NATO expertise or using US military technology, defence technical data, or other restricted information. TFASA said the containaers werebasic mobile classroom units and did not have any form of tactical simulators, advanced systems, or classified, sensitive, tailored military training capacities. The company said it would release a report from an investigation conducted last year, which showed that the software used in the trainers was reviewed and vetted for export.

Read the full statement on X here:

The US's seizure of the containers occurred as tensions between the US and South Africa over a multinational naval exercise escalated. The South African National Defence Force was accused of ignoring President Cyril Ramaphosa's orders to withdraw Iranian ships from the naval exercises in False Bay, Western Cape.

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The Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga, ordered a probe into Iran's participation in the naval drills following confusion over Iran's role in the naval exercise. In a statement released on 16 January, the Department of Defence said that Motshekga established a Board of Inquiryto probe the allegations.

US Senator slams South Africa for naval drills

In a related article, Briefly News reported that US Senator Jim Risch slammed the government over the naval exercises in False Bay. Risch said that the African National Congress-led government hid behind a claim of non-alignment to host America's enemies.

Risch said that the US government must take stronger action against the South African government. He said US President Donald Trump was right to take action against the South African government.

Source: Briefly News