Malaysia's and Singapore's air forces have ambitious development plans. They open their doors to Flight International as a prelude to the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 1999 on 1 - 5 December
Andrzej Jeziorski/KUALA LUMPUR
The mission of the Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) - or Royal Malaysian Air Force - has radically changed since it was founded in 1958. "Initially, the [air force's] role was primarily ground forces support and counter-insurgency," says Maj Gen Suleiman Bin Mahmud, deputy chief of the TUDM. In the late 1950s, and for years afterwards, Malaysia was fighting incursions by Communist guerillas across the Thai border.
"In 1989, they [the guerillas] said there would be no more armed struggle, so the development of the air force in the past 10 years has been towards air defence," says Suleiman.
Malaysia has a long, exposed, western coastline and an offshore oil industry which brings in billions of US dollars annually, and needs protection. As former TUDM chief Lt Gen Abdul Ghani Aziz once put it in an interview with the region's aerospace press, "pure logic and rational analysis will lead to a conclusion that it is improbable that Malaysia will go to war in the near or even distant future. Then again, can anyone say that what is happening around the world today is logical and rational?"
The recent upheavals in the provinces of neighbouring Indonesia, and the deployment of international peacekeeping troops there, has only served to underline the region's volatility. Malaysia's participation in the Australian-led Intervention Force East Timor (INTERFET) protection force has been low-key, however.
Malaysia is a member of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (FPDA), with Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. The FPDA offers loose mutual security guarantees, but the South-East Asian signatories seem to take little comfort in the pact.
Benefits of membership
"I can see there are many benefits that we got from the FPDA, [but] it is not a binding agreement," says TUDM chief of staff Maj Gen Abdul Malek Bin Shahar. The benefits from the arrangement come in the form of links between the various armed forces, and the opportunity to participate in joint exercises.
Malaysia buys military aircraft and air weapons from US, European and Russian manufacturers, revealing the service's (and the government's) belief in multiple-sourced defence procurement. This extends to operating, for instance, three different fighter types - Boeing F/A-18s, MIG-MAPO MiG-29s and Northrop F-5s - and two combat-capable jet trainer types - the British Aerospace Hawk and the Aermacchi MB339. Suleiman says he does not think it could be any other way.
Malaysia does not manufacture its own aircraft, he points out, and buying too many critical resources from a single supplier could leave the country isolated if political relations with the source country were to turn sour.
The UK's recent suspension of Hawk deliveries to Indonesia over East Timor raised concerns in Malaysia that contracts might not be honoured if politics intervene. According to sources close to the defence ministry, this was instrumental in the recent shelving of an attrition buy of five Hawk 100 trainers, despite a "very good offer" from the manufacturer.
Malaysia's extensive armed forces modernisation programme, begun in 1988, stopped in 1997 when the Asian economic crisis hit. "A lot had to be pushed back," says Malek.
The modernisation had begun with the signing of a RM4.6 billion ($1.2 billion) memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK, which led to the 1990 order for 10 BAe Hawk 108 trainers, and 18 Hawk 208 light fighters. The MoU also covered the purchase of a Hughes-built Hawk simulator, a 1992 order for two GEC-Marconi S-743 Martello long-range surveillance radars, installed at Genting Highlands and Kuching, and an initial batch of Shorts Starburst missile launchers, with about 60 missiles, for short-range air defence.
These procurements were followed by a $40 million purchase of four Raytheon Beech King Air B200T twin turboprops for maritime patrol/search and locate. These aircraft have been fitted with belly-mounted Telephonics 143 search radar, a FLIR Systems pod-mounted infrared sensor, and twin droptanks, increasing operating radius to 370km (200nm) and endurance to 6h. In response to a requirement for a new air superiority fighter and a strike aircraft, the Malaysian defence ministry announced in 1993 that the TUDM had selected the MiG-29 and the F/A-18D Hornet, respectively.
Eight Hornets were ordered in a RM1.4 billion contract, with RM677.5 million of offset for the local industry. These aircraft are in operation with 18 Sqn, based at Butterworth, having been handed to the TUDM by mid-1997. They are armed with Raytheon AIM-9S short-range, infrared homing missiles and with AIM-7M Sparrow medium-range missiles for air-to-air combat. They also carry AGM-84A Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Bristol Aerospace CRV-7 unguided rocket pods and Nite Hawk forward-looking infrared pods.
Familiarisation training for TUDM Hornet pilots was carried out with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and US Navy.
While Boeing had been hoping for a follow-on order for 12 Hornets, this never materialised, as a result of Malaysia's economic problems. "The intention has always been to buy more [F/A-18s]," says Suleiman. He explains that the initial buy of eight aircraft was only a sufficient number to give the TUDM experience with the aircraft in anticipation of a further batch, which would now only come "when it becomes affordable".
When this might be is anybody's guess, and Suleiman concedes that by the time Malaysia can afford to buy more F/A-18s, other countries in the region could already be procuring next-generation fighters. But both Suleiman and Malek deny that the F/A-18 procurement backfired. "At least it gives us training and experience with the technology," says Suleiman.
For air superiority, the TUDM decided to buy 16 MiG-29Ns and two, twin-seatMiG-29Us in a $1.6 billion deal which included 12 spare RD33-3 engines, two static airframes and an armaments package. The aircraft are based at Kuantan with numbers 17 and 19 Sqns and are armed with Vympel R-73E heat-seeking missiles and R-72R semi-active radar-guided missiles, as well as air-to-ground rockets.
The MiG purchase package also included $220 million of offset, including the establishment of the Aerospace Technical Support Centre (ATSC) at Kuantan. This is a joint venture between the Malaysian finance ministry (which owns 70%), MIG-MAPO and Rosvoorouzhenie (which each own 15%), and supports, maintains and upgrades the MiGs. The aircraft were already modified by MIG-MAPO with the installation of a Collins radio, an identification friend-or-foe (IFF)transponder and other new navigation aids. Airframe life was increased to 6,000h and engine life to 4,000h. Additional integral fuel tanks were also fitted to increase endurance, as were in-flight refuelling probes.
The aircraft are being upgraded for integration of the Vympel R-77 active radar-guided air-to-air missile and the Kh-27T air-to-surface missile. A follow-on order is under consideration, and with the full multi-role capability, is seen as a cheaper alternative to more F/A-18s. Malek says that the air force wants a force totalling 30-40 MiG-29s to reach the TUDM's required force level, but when the order will come "all depends on the money".
In a further move closer to the Russian defence industry, Malaysia has recently been discussing buying Sukhoi Su-27 fighters.
Upgrades shelved
The TUDM still has 16 Northrop F-5E/F Tiger II fighters and two RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance variants serving with 12 Sqn at Butterworth. All of these need upgrading or replacing. Plans to upgrade the aircraft have been under consideration since mid-1996, but were among the projects shelved as a result of the economic crash. They have yet to be revived. Another key requirement for Malaysia is the procurement of an airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. This programme has also suffered delays because of the weakened economy, but is seen as a top priority for Malaysia.
Under consideration are the Boeing 737-700, fitted with a multirole electronically scanned array (MESA) radar, and the Embraer RJ-145, with a dorsally mounted Ericsson Erieye radar. An initial two units are required, which could later be increased to six aircraft.
Heavy transport needs are met by six Lockheed Martin C-130Hs and five C-130H-30s being operated by 14 and 20 Sqns at Subang. Two C-130H-MP variants are in service with 4 Sqn in the maritime patrol role. Lighter transport capabilities are provided by 11 elderly de Havilland DH-4A Caribous, serving with 1 and 8 Sqns. The TUDM has also finally taken delivery this year of six IPTN-built CN235Ms, ordered in 1994 and due for delivery in 1996.
Other procurement needs include replacements for 13 SA316B Alouette III liaison helicopters, which were first introduced into Malaysian service in 1963, and for 31 Sikorsky S-61A Nuri transport helicopters, in service since 1968.
The Nuris could be replaced by Mi-17s, with Malaysia understood to be close to a decision to buy as many as 40 of the Russian helicopters. This deal could be linked to the transfer of manufacturing technology and research and development capabilities from the Russian Ulan Ude production plant to Malaysia (Flight International, 24-30 November).
At least some of these procurement programmes are expected to become more concrete once Malaysia releases its 8th Malaysian Armed Forces Plan, covering proposed procurements for the next five years, and due to be issued in April 2000.
Source: Flight International
