Operation Klipklop occurred during the Bush War between the Republic of South Africa and SWAPO.The operation began at first light on the 30th July 1980 when South African forces attack enemy facilities in Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

. The objective was a PLAN logistics base at the town of Chitado, 5 km from the Namibian border and 35 km east of Ruacana

Ruacana

Ruacana is a town in Omusati Region, northern Namibia and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency. It is located on the border with Angola on the river Kunene. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby....

, with the aim of disrupting motar attacks on the Ruacana hydro-electric scheme. Supported by Alouette III

Aérospatiale Alouette III

The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.The Alouette III is the...

 attack helicopters, 80 men were dropped by helicopters close to the town. Twenty seven defenders, possibly PLAN or MPLA soldiers, died in the attack that followed with the SADF destroying the MPLA base in the town on their withdrawal. This operation followed Operation Sceptic

Operation Sceptic

Operation Sceptic was the largest anti-SWAPO sweep during the South African Border War up to that point. This operation followed Operation Safraan and preceded Operation Klipklop.-External links:*...

 and preceded Operation Protea

Operation Protea

Operation Protea was a military operation during the South African Border War and Angolan Civil War in which South African Defence Forces destroyed a number SWAPO bases in Angola. During the operation, which took place from August 23 to September 4, 1981, up to 5,000 SADF soldiers occupied Cunene...

.