Malaysia may further delay its acquisition of four airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft because of budget constraints.
Industry sources say the proposed AEW&C acquisition is unlikely to be included in Malaysia’s new five-year budget for 2006-10, to be finalised early next year, although it is a top priority for the air force.
But the sources say the acquisition could still go forward as early as next year because Malaysia’s prime minister sometimes decides to acquire big-ticket military items outside the normal budget. “We see it requiring separate funding, which comes from someplace else,” says a Saab source.
Kuala Lumpur almost signed an AEW&C contract with Embraer in 2003, although the programme was also excluded from the 2000-5 spending plan. The Malaysian air force re-evaluated the EMB-145 AEW&C aircraft in Kuala Lumpur the week before LIMA, where the aircraft was on static display.
The air force first evaluated the aircraft in Brazil in early 2003 during a formal assessment of potential AEW&C solutions, including the Boeing 737, Lockheed Martin P-3, Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000 and Saab 2000.
Lockheed has since stopped campaigning for the requirement. Boeing is also no longer heavily promoting its bid, but a company source says Malaysia remains a potential long-term AEW customer and it will provide further information if requested.
An Embraer source says it brought the EMB-145 to Malaysia unsolicited as a refresher for the air force and to demonstrate its capabilities to senior officials who were not at the evaluation in Brazil. “Basically what we are saying is we’re still ready,” says the source.
While Embraer remains the favourite, Northrop and Saab are also confident they can win should the programme finally move forward, although they elected not to bring their aircraft to LIMA.
Northrop is promoting the Hawkeye 2000’s flexibility to operate at low altitudes and other missions besides AEW&C, including anti-smuggling, economic zone protection and disaster relief.
A Northrop source says the manufacturer believes a contract could be awarded next year for deliveries in 2009, adding that any further delay would cause difficulties because Northrop will switch to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye from 2010.
The Northrop source says Malaysia may acquire the Hawkeye 2000 in the two to three years after it completes its mid-term defence plan review. Northrop is also offering Malaysia the option of used Hawkeyes and believes it may win the competition on the grounds it is offering the least expensive solution. Sources say selection of the Hawkeye 2000 is now feasible because relations between Malaysia and the USA have started to warm following a cold period that began in 2001.
A Saab source says Malaysia favours the Ericsson Erieye radar, which is on both the Embraer and Saab solutions, and Saab believes its platform better meets the technical requirement because of its superior endurance. “The match is still on between the Saab 2000 and Embraer,” he says.
But a Northrop source says the air force prefers the Hawkeye radar because it provides 360 degree coverage, compared with the Erieye which has “blank spots”. The radar on the Hawkeye also works from take-off while the Saab or EMB-145 has to be airborne before the Erieye can be activiated.
Source: Flight International
