44 Parachute Anti-Aircraft Regiment

44 Anti-Aircraft Regiment is an artillery and Para regiment of the South African Army.

History
44 Anti-Aircraft Regiment was appointed and designated as a unit of the Citizen Force wef January 1985 with the headquarters at Murrayhill (Hammanskraal). The unit struggled to obtain any National Service intake as Gunners posted to the Parachute Brigade were being passed to the battalions and were not being released to the Anti-Aircraft unit. When the first exercise was held, only 18 parachute trained gunners were available.

Operations and Exercises

 * Mocamedes: 44 Anti-Aircraft were to be dropped with the 44 Pathfinders to receive and undergo training from UNITA, on Stinger missiles before the main force dropped. The operation never took place.


 * Exercise Vlakwater: September 1989, a full troop with two gun sections of 14.5mm AA guns and one Jakkals vehicle with a Mamba double barrelled 12.7mm AA gun, was deployed in an air drop.


 * Exercise Pegasus: 14 July 199,2 at approximately 23h30, the then Army Battle School parachute-qualified air defence Gunners were dropped over the General De Wet Training Area. Two 24 ft pallets was dropped from a C-130 transport aircraft. At 07h00 on 16 July the ground forces were attacked by air (in the form of Skylift radio-controlled aircraft) which were repelled by eight 14.5mm double-barrelled AA guns and two shoulder-launched missiles.


 * Roodepoort Dam: 44 Anti-Aircraft has taken part in brigade “water jumps” over the Roodepoort Dam each year since 1990.

Ordinance and Equipment
44 Anti-Aircraft Regiment armament and equipment, consisted of:
 * Russian SAM 7 missiles,
 * Russian 14.5mm AA guns,
 * American .50 Brownings mounted on Jakkals airborne “mini-jeeps”.