o f f t h e b e a t e n t r a c k Africa P r o t e c t i n g c r o p s f r o m a n e n e m y t h e s i z e o f a t h u m b H125s are the perfect tool for locating swarms of desert locusts in uninhabited lands and helping to forecast where they’ll land next. Article: Heather Couthaud. Photos: Savannah Helicopters Working with an FAO coordinator, Savannah’s teams went to remote areas where swarms go overlooked. read more read more Article: Article: Heather Couthaud. Photos: Savannah Helicopters Africa Protecting crops from an enemy the size of a thumb Their coming can look like a pink smudge on the horizon as they quickly cover up to 200 km in a day. In 24 hours, they eat their own weight in grains like teff, millet and khat. When they take off again, they leave behind human starvation. The 2020-2021 desert locust crisis has been devastating due to favourable weather conditions, resulting in the destruction of East Africa’s crops and food resources. Combatting it requires 24/7 surveillance to spot the swarms of insects and their non-flying offspring in the act of devouring fields of grain and coffee. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is behind the efforts to monitor and fight the locust outbreak, and is drawing on numerous resources. One is a trio of H125s operated by Savannah Helicopters, which won a tender in collaboration with Zemen Flying Services, a local Ethiopian operator, to conduct survey flights in Ethiopia to locate the insects. Locust swarms in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya hitch a ride on eastern winds, moving across the region in numbers that reach 50 million per hectare. Covering several hectares, the locust threat to human food security is high. A continent in lockdown The H125s first had to be ferried from Savannah Helicopters’ base in South Africa. An early attempt was scotched when the continent went into lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Paying no heed to human plagues, the locusts continued their advancement, and Savannah Helicopters made a second attempt across Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya, and eventually to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As if a twenty-two flight hour journey wasn’t enough, with the prospect of meeting crawly insects at the end, in compliance with COVID-19 protocols the crews had to bed down in tents beside the helicopters at night to avoid quarantining at each stop. Plagues of locusts After a 10-day isolation on arrival, the crews were stationed at three bases in Ethiopia, where they soon met their adversaries. “You see them clearly because they’re dense. One of our pilots flew around one of these swarms and they could calculate the area: it was 35,000 hectares. That’s enormous,” says Conrad Maree, Savannah Helicopters’ owner. From April to June 2021, each helicopter flew 70 to 80 hours a month. Working with an FAO coordinator, Savannah’s teams went to remote areas where swarms go overlooked. Locals contributed to sightings, leading to investigations that sometimes required the H125s to land in sandy unprepared sites. “The helicopters performed without any major snag and never disappointed,” says Maree. “There’s a lot of high and steep terrain. Historically, we’ve operated the Ecureuil in worse areas and they’ve never let us down.” “We are very proud to see the H125 involved in the combat against the desert locust swarms in East Africa,” says Gilbert Do Nascimento, Airbus South Africa Managing Director. “The H125 is a versatile platform capable of conducting a broad array of missions for the benefit of local populations, especially in Africa. We are standing by Savannah’s side making sure they receive the necessary support to conduct their vital missions.” At the time of writing, Savannah Helicopters had replaced one of its H125s for another equipped with a spray system and is attacking hopper infestations from the air. “Being vigilant has shown to be the solution in dealing with the desert locust infestation. The Ecureuil has proven that it is the most capable platform for such remote and challenging conditions,” says Maree.