Free Republic

“STICK me in this jet, and I’ll take her anywhere,” said a Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18D Hornet ‘driver’.” The pilot’s confidence in the much-vaunted strike fighter’s ability to handle modern threats is due to the fact that the RMAF’s 20-year-old fleet recently underwent a comprehensive upgrade that gives it an even more lethal “sting”. The best just got better. The programme, carried out in phases, was to enhance the Hornet’s combat effectiveness in its primary tasking in the air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. This included the integration of four primary elements — Boeing’s Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), the super-agile,...

Super Hornet Represents Natural Progression From Hornets, Says Boeing By Mikhail Raj Abdullah KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- Boeing's combat-proven multi-role Super Hornet fighter aircraft represents a natural progression for Malaysia's current aircraft fleet given its enhanced inter-operability with the existing eight Hornets plus its ability to provide support for ground forces. "The Super Hornet has the capability, flexibility and performance necessary to modernise the air or naval aviation forces of any country," said Dennis Muilenburg, the Executive Vice-President of The Boeing Company and President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, which is a unit...

Operating, maintaining and flying Sukhoi fighter aircraft is a Malaysia-India-Russia 'love story', says a senior Malaysian air force official.Though a three-year trilateral arrangement nears its end, Russian and Indian officials are committed to reinforcing Malaysia's air defence and combat capability as far as the Sukhoi Su 30 MKM Flanker squadron is concerned. The assurance came from Russia's warranty team leader Vladimir Konnov, from aircraft manufacturer Irkut Corporation, and Indian Air Force's (IAF) chief flight instructor Group Captain K.V.R. Raju. Konnov stressed the need for the arrangement to continue in some form. Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) 11th Squadron commanding officer...

By September, operations at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base here are expected to be an all-Malaysian affair. Gone will be the 50-odd Russian and Indian technical crew, engineering officers and instructor pilots following the end of their two-year service tenure. RMAF chief Gen Datuk Seri Rodzali Daud said the departure of the expatriates would pose a strong challenge to the local airmen and women to stand on their own and operate the Sukhoi SU-30MKM flanker multi-role combat aircraft. "We are confident (that we can) run the base and flight operations by ourselves, by which time there will be proper...

When Mejar Patricia Yapp attended the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in 2005, she was just a spectator. This time around, the only female pilot of the MiG 29 aircraft in Asia, will thrill racing fans during the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) aerial acrobatic display at the three-day event. She said what excited her most about the event was that it was the most prestigious in the region. “The most important thing is to have proper planning and training before each task,” said the 33-year-old pilot who has clocked more than 1,000 flying hours. She has been flying the Russian...

The Govern­ment’s investigations into the stolen Royal Malaysian Air Force RMAF F5E jet engines in Uruguay has turned up evidence, in the form of documents and witnesses, necessary for instituting criminal proceedings here. “We visited the military facility where the engines are kept under the custody of the Uruguayan judicial authority and have positively identified them as belonging to the Government of Malaysia,” said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. Abdul Gani, who visited Uruguay and Argentina from Feb 15 to Feb 19, said they had drafted two mutual legal assistance requests for the return of the engines as well...

The Malaysian government has announced that it will continue to operate 10 of its 16 MiG-29N interceptors until 2015, reversing plans to decommission the aircraft by the end of 2010. A plan to replace the MiG-29s with a new fighter aircraft has been delayed by the economic downturn. However, maintaining the aircraft will impose burdens of its own since the aircraft’s engines need to be overhauled every year and the weaponry for the fighter jets has reached the end of its life span. The 10th Five-Year Malaysian Plan (2011-1015) is expected to propose procurement and development funding of MYR7 billion...

The Malaysian Government last week announced that it would continue to operate ten of its 16 MiG-29N interceptors, reversing plans announced late last year to decommission the entire fleet of by the end of 2010. The original plan by the Ministry of Defence to replace the MiG-29N fighter jets with the 'Multi Role Combat Aircraft' (MRCA) has been delayed by the economic downturn, a ministry official told reporters. As defpro.com previously reported in November last year, the Royal Malaysian Air Forces’ (RMAF) plan to purchase a new fleet of fighter aircraft faced serious financial obstacles . On Wednesday last week,...

The Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) MiG-29N aircraft will fly for at least another five years, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said. He said the government had decided to continue operating the Russian-made aircraft although there was a proposal to retire and sell them to third world countries. "The decision was based on the capability of the aircraft (MIG-29N) in executing the tasks given," he told reporters after visiting the RMAF base here today. Zahid said factors considered include the country's economy which had yet to fully recover from the economic slowdown. "We plan to buy more multi-role...

RMAF's Sukhois to arrive in May — one year late 15 Feb 2007 Adrian David KUALA LUMPUR: After a one-year delay, the first six Sukhoi Su-30MKM jets will be delivered to the Royal Malaysian Air Force in May. The RMAF ordered 18 of the Russian jet fighters in 2003 in a US$900 million (RM3.24 billion) deal. After India and Vietnam, Malaysia will become one of the largest operators of the high-tech jet. Indonesia has ordered 12, while Thailand is mulling the purchase. Defence industry sources said the RMAF was ready to take delivery of the jets as the crew of...