Air Force

[Cire 0]

Recently in the former PM's blog, TM posted the viability of sustaining the squadron of MIG29N, and weighing the options of getting newer fighter jets for Malaysia's air space tours.

TM was asking how much would it cost to upgrade the squadron to its competitiveness, and whether Malaysia should use that monies or not.

 

Also recently, the UK have ceased the operations of its jump jets Hawk Harrier. It draws both criticism and out cry from the many war and as well as former air commanders. The UK cited it to be too expensive to maintain the squadrons and it is not economical to operate anymore. With the cease the aircraft, so were the aircraft carrier that the Hawks are based too.

 

I think in Malaysia's environment, two type of aircrafts that would be most practical.

1)A VTOL aircraft

2)An attack helicopter eg.Apache

 

With our mountainous and tight peninsula terrains, such aircrafts would proof to be more practical.

 

Till date, there's no further comment from TM or the Government with regards to the decision to purchase new fighter jets (SU30)or maintaining the present squadron of MIG29N.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Cire

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

If Malaysia wants a true VTOL aircraft, their only option at the moment is the F-35, which I doubt we can get in huge numbers if at all, unlike our Southern neighbour who has already ordered the F-35 and whose air force size is not proportionate to its land mass!

 

Same goes for the Apache. The Air Force did in fact had an intention to buy an attack helicopter and it was a fight between the South African Denel Roovialk & the Apache. But the US wasn't going to offer us the advanced AH-64D Longbow, again unlike our Southern neighbour! In the end, it was a moot point because the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis hit and the plans were shelved.

[Cheng Long 0]

Sometime last year, they talked about replacing the Nuri and even shortlisted a couple of helicopters.. No news now..

There is an army base in my hometown, once awhile can see those Nuri coming in. They are quite dated, very noisy you can hear them from kilometers away, appear clumsy and slow.

Anyway, whatever helicopters they buy, better don't lose the engines..

[flee 5]

There is nothing really wrong with the Nuri helicopters - they appear to be bad because insufficient budgets are allocated for their maintenance. The US President's Marine 1 helicopters are of similar type and they are very well maintained - so safety is not a problem for them. Non-pressurised aircraft don't have to worry about compression and decompression cycles. They will fly forever, if properly maintained.

[Cheng Long 0]

Well, in today's battlefield where speed and surprise are key elements, the Nuri helicopters have very limited roles.

They are noisy, slow and perhaps not so maneuverable to their modern day's equivalent. They can be easily shot down in combat.

Guess they can still do behind the scenes duties far away from enemy's fire.

[flee 5]

The Nuris we have here were never front line helicopters. Mostly used for medivac (mercy missions) and VIP transport roles. So its not important to have the latest although some are also used for aerial/maritime surveillance.

 

RMAF's capabilities are academic anyway - in a real war, the whole airforce will be crippled within one or two days, maybe even in hours. So it does not matter what we have - cos we don't have enough to fight a war that is longer than one day!

[BC Tam 2]

..... operations of its jump jets Hawk Harrier.

Asuming you meant the Hawker Siddeley Harrier 'jump jet' ?

The Hawk and Harrier are two different birds altogether (both metallic and feathered versions)

 

 

RMAF's capabilities are academic anyway - in a real war, the whole airforce will be crippled within one or two days, maybe even in hours. So it does not matter what we have - cos we don't have enough to fight a war that is longer than one day!

What an astute observation !

I suppose enough in them though for those merdeka parade fly-pasts

[Cire 0]

Asuming you meant the Hawker Siddeley Harrier 'jump jet' ?

The Hawk and Harrier are two different birds altogether (both metallic and feathered versions)

 

 

 

What an astute observation !

I suppose enough in them though for those merdeka parade fly-pasts

 

 

ha..yes..the Hawker Siddeley Harrier jump jet.. I remembered to have read avidly the Harrier's combat against the Argentines's MIGs during the Falklands conflict. The ability of the jet to do a reverse trust out-manoneuvred the MIGs easily.

[KK Lee 5]

ha..yes..the Hawker Siddeley Harrier jump jet.. I remembered to have read avidly the Harrier's combat against the Argentines's MIGs during the Falklands conflict. The ability of the jet to do a reverse trust out-manoneuvred the MIGs easily.

 

During the Falkland war, Argentinian was operating A-4 Skyhawk, Super Entendard, MB-399 and Pucarás

[flee 5]

The Argies do not use MiGs - their aircraft included McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, Israel Aircraft Industries Daggers, English Electric B Mk 62 Canberras, and Dassault Mirage III. The British only had the BAE Sea Harrier FRS Mk 1 fighters operated from the aircraft carriers.

[Cire 0]

it is probably true that the air force would only last perhaps half a day in battle. There are more fighter jet pilots than aircrafts available and they have to take turns to fly the jets.

I wonder if the government still have the Pilatus squadron around. I think the Mexican used the Pilatus out fitted with missiles and guns as their fighter air crafts.

 

During the last 2 LIMA show, the government was showing interest too in the KAMOV attack helicopter - Black shark, or something.. Hm.., I guess that time our palm oil was not doing well in the market.

 

Whatever it is, Malaysia should have a VTOL attack aircraft, whether a helicopter or a fixed wing jet.

 

Malaysia's air force aircrafts as I remembered are;

 

1) Tebuan twin seater jet

2) F5E Tiger jet

3) Caribou transport aircraft

4) Nuri transport helicopters

5) Gazelle multipurpose helicopters

6) Skyhawk

7) C130 Charlies

 

 

anymore to add?

[Syukri 0]

Is Carribou still around? I thought they've been replaced by CN-235.

[Raymund Yeoh 1]

it is probably true that the air force would only last perhaps half a day in battle. There are more fighter jet pilots than aircrafts available and they have to take turns to fly the jets.

I wonder if the government still have the Pilatus squadron around. I think the Mexican used the Pilatus out fitted with missiles and guns as their fighter air crafts.

 

During the last 2 LIMA show, the government was showing interest too in the KAMOV attack helicopter - Black shark, or something.. Hm.., I guess that time our palm oil was not doing well in the market.

 

Whatever it is, Malaysia should have a VTOL attack aircraft, whether a helicopter or a fixed wing jet.

 

Malaysia's air force aircrafts as I remembered are;

 

1) Tebuan twin seater jet

2) F5E Tiger jet

3) Caribou transport aircraft

4) Nuri transport helicopters

5) Gazelle multipurpose helicopters

6) Skyhawk

7) C130 Charlies

 

 

anymore to add?

 

Here's the RMAF Orbat taken from Scramble....I think its quite updated.

 

http://www.scramble.nl/my.htm

[Alif A. F. 0]

 

 

I guess UN missions (like warding off Somali pirates?) are pretty good for real military practice. Hmmm...

[Cheng Long 0]

The Nuris we have here were never front line helicopters. Mostly used for medivac (mercy missions) and VIP transport roles. So its not important to have the latest although some are also used for aerial/maritime surveillance.

 

RMAF's capabilities are academic anyway - in a real war, the whole airforce will be crippled within one or two days, maybe even in hours. So it does not matter what we have - cos we don't have enough to fight a war that is longer than one day!

 

Malaysia is not at war, so most of the stuff we discuss here is academic..

In the event of war, they will be used for troop deployment, transport, evac and for providing supplies.. For these roles, they are quite dated technology.

 

In times of peace like now, use to try to impress people during parade, mercy mission, VIP and etc.

 

it is probably true that the air force would only last perhaps half a day in battle. There are more fighter jet pilots than aircrafts available and they have to take turns to fly the jets.

I wonder if the government still have the Pilatus squadron around. I think the Mexican used the Pilatus out fitted with missiles and guns as their fighter air crafts.

 

During the last 2 LIMA show, the government was showing interest too in the KAMOV attack helicopter - Black shark, or something.. Hm.., I guess that time our palm oil was not doing well in the market.

 

Whatever it is, Malaysia should have a VTOL attack aircraft, whether a helicopter or a fixed wing jet.

 

Malaysia's air force aircrafts as I remembered are;

 

1) Tebuan twin seater jet

2) F5E Tiger jet

3) Caribou transport aircraft

4) Nuri transport helicopters

5) Gazelle multipurpose helicopters

6) Skyhawk

7) C130 Charlies

 

 

anymore to add?

 

Can la.. depending on who the enemy is and provided no one stole away the engines, our air force can probably last longer than a day..

 

BTW Sukhoi around?? The gov spent a fortune on them including a value-added trip to space for our angkasawan..

[Cire 0]

The Argies do not use MiGs - their aircraft included McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, Israel Aircraft Industries Daggers, English Electric B Mk 62 Canberras, and Dassault Mirage III. The British only had the BAE Sea Harrier FRS Mk 1 fighters operated from the aircraft carriers.

 

 

oh man, my apologies..must be my age..getting old..yeah..Skyhawks. Not MIGs.. Thanks for correcting my mistakes..

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

it is probably true that the air force would only last perhaps half a day in battle. There are more fighter jet pilots than aircrafts available and they have to take turns to fly the jets.

I wonder if the government still have the Pilatus squadron around. I think the Mexican used the Pilatus out fitted with missiles and guns as their fighter air crafts.

 

During the last 2 LIMA show, the government was showing interest too in the KAMOV attack helicopter - Black shark, or something.. Hm.., I guess that time our palm oil was not doing well in the market.

 

Whatever it is, Malaysia should have a VTOL attack aircraft, whether a helicopter or a fixed wing jet.

 

Malaysia's air force aircrafts as I remembered are;

 

1) Tebuan twin seater jet

2) F5E Tiger jet

3) Caribou transport aircraft

4) Nuri transport helicopters

5) Gazelle multipurpose helicopters

6) Skyhawk

7) C130 Charlies

 

 

anymore to add?

 

They use a Casa CN235 too ..

[Lock SH 0]

Do you know that the purchase of military hardware in Malaysia is purely based on POLITICAL decision instead of strategic and tactical decision?.....

 

Don't let me start a thread related to the famous 'Scorpene' unsubmersible-C4-submarine or ex-M'cca CM SU-30 project ..........

 

Academic or not, be a judge yourself .......

 

 

[Cire 0]

the news today reported our King had a super-sonic experience in a SU30KMN. I wondered how much it has cost the MOD for this short fling over Penang and Langkawi.

[Lock SH 0]

It does not cost anything 'extra' as the it could be offset from pilot's monthly training hours.

 

Do you know that the King is the highest ranking military officer in country? Certainly it comes with some priviledges as well ........

 

 

[Aiman 0]

the news today reported our King had a super-sonic experience in a SU30KMN. I wondered how much it has cost the MOD for this short fling over Penang and Langkawi.

It's SU-30 MKM multirole jet fighter, agree with Lock SH statement.

[Cire 0]

yup, it will not cost "extra" in monetary terms * at the moment, but it had caused the availability of flight hours to be shortened for many of the other fighter pilots that have waited in line to have a go in the SU30MKM (tks for the rectification).

Flying the SU30MKM is for the elitist of pilots only.

 

 

Of course HRH Agung have such privileges, and so perhaps after joining the super sonic club, HM would perhaps recommended the government to look into upgrading the air force?

 

Side tracked a bit here. It was reported way back in 2009 that Russia's Sukoi have offered to the world's rich to fly its SU fighter jets for a fee.

The 30 plus minutes of flying with an experience pilot was said to have attracted plenty of enthusiast around the world, including of course from China and some rich Arabs.

[Cire 0]

RMAF is getting its Airbus A400M in 2015? Malaysia have ordered a total of 4 units of them. This would mean beside to transport our troops to overseas' exercise, for humanitarian relocation purposes like the evacuation of our fellow Msians from troubled land could then be made in a much more swifter and shorter turn-around time.

[Raymund Yeoh 1]

well well now we have the Navy joining in with the controversial RM1 billion for each Off shore patrol vessel.....mind u it still aint a frigate or destroyer here....

[Cire 0]

Is the RMAF still in the number 1 position in this region for been able to acquire the Beyond Visual Range (BVR) guided missiles from Russia?