Royal Malaysian Air Force

[xinhui]

BERNAMA - Race On To Offer Replacement As RMAF Phases Out MiG-29N



December 02, 2009 21:28 PM



Race On To Offer Replacement As RMAF Phases Out MiG-29N





LANGKAWI, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- International arms manufacturers have joined the race to offer a replacement for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Mikoyan MiG-29N fighter aircraft to be phased out next year.



At the ongoing 2009 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima 2009) exhibition here, several of these manufacturers openly stated their desire to supply Malaysia such an aircraft.



One company which has swiftly made known its intention is BAE Systems, which touts its Eurofighter Typhoon as the perfect replacement.



"We certainly have an interest in the MiG-29N replacement programme. We would expect that the Malaysian air force would consider every aircraft available in the market," said its Regional Director-Business Development Dave Potter.



Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had reportedly said that the ministry would phase out the air-to-air interdiction aircraft next year and replace it with a more capable multirole combat aircraft (MRCA).



"Funding for the purchase, which is expected to run into billions of ringgit, will come from the (next) 10th Malaysia Plan," said an industry source which declined to be identified.



According to the source, the proposal to find a suitable replacement for the 18 MiG-29N aircraft was still at the initial stage and no final decision has been made by the government or the air force.



"We have to wait until the government issues a 'Request For Proposal' (RFP) before we can definitely know the specification and what type of aircraft they are interested in," the source said.



The decision of the ministry on the successful bidder, said the source, could also hinge on the level of transfer-of-technology the company was willing to undertake with Malaysia .



Nevertheless, as of now and based on what the defence minister has announced, it said, all MRCA-type of aircraft in the market is a contender, whether it is a single or twin engine plane.



The list, according to the source, is long but the most likely aircraft would be the Russian-made twin-engine Sukhoi SU-30 MKM and SU-35, FA-18 E/F Super Hornet, JAS Gripen, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Aviation Rafael, F-16 C/D Block 52 or, perhaps, the F-15 Eagle.



The Sukhoi SU-30 MKM, SU-35 and FA-18 E/F Super Hornet would be the main contenders to meet RMAF's quest to find the replacement.



"If the RMAF chooses commonality as the main factor behind its decision in finding the replacement for the MiGs, then the Sukhoi and the Hornet will come out tops," the source said.



The RMAF has 18 Sukhoi SU-30 MKM and eight FA-18D Hornet in its inventory.



-- BERNAMA

[xinhui]

FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Missing jet engines spark crisis in Malaysia

Missing jet engines spark crisis in Malaysia

By Kevin Brown in Singapore

Published: December 22 2009 13:58 | Last updated: December 22 2009 13:58

The Malaysian government is facing a fresh corruption crisis after officials admitted that two US-made fighter jet engines had disappeared from an air force base after apparently being illicitly sold by military officers to a South American arms dealer.

Najib Razak, prime minister, said there would be a full investigation of the thefts, which happened in 2007 and 2008, when he was defence minister. However, opposition parties accused the government of covering up the incidents.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Anwar upbeat despite setback on sex charges - Dec-03Malaysia warned on longstanding goal - Nov-18Lim Kit Siang, parliamentary leader of the opposition Democratic Action party, said the authorities had been “super slow” and claimed that the prime minister’s response had painted “a frightening picture of a government of thieves”.

Idris Ahmad, spokesman for the allied Parti Islam SeMalaysia, said “powerful people” had been involved. “We don’t want only the ikan bilis [anchovies] to be arrested while the sharks are allowed to swim freely,” he said.

The General Electric J85-21A engines, each worth about M$50m ($15m), were spares for the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s Northrop Grumman F-5E Tiger II fighters, which fly from the Butterworth air base near the country’s northern border with Thailand .

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, defence minister, said the engines and associated equipment were “believed to have been sent to a South American country” after being moved to the Sungai Besi air force base in Kuala Lumpur for maintenance.

The defence ministry would not identify the company or the country involved or comment on claims in the Malaysian media that the engines may have ended up in the Middle East .

The F-5 went out of production in 1989 but is still flown as a trainer aircraft by US forces and is in frontline or reserve service with many foreign air forces, including that of Iran .

The defence ministry said several senior officers were being investigated. General Azizan Ariffin, chief of the armed forces, said the engine thefts might have been “the tip of the iceberg”, raising the possibility that other military equipment might also have disappeared.

The disclosure of the thefts is a serious blow to Mr Najib, who has promised a crackdown on corruption as part of efforts to recover support for his long-serving National Front government, which lost many of its seats in a general election last year.

The prime minister last week unveiled a three-year action plan amid concerns about declining investor interest and the impact of Malaysia’s fall to 56th in the 2009 Corruption Index published by Transparency International – down from 47th in 2008.

Mr Najib has flatly denied any personal corruption, including opposition claims of involvement in an allegedly corrupt submarine deal while he served as defence minister.

Corruption charges were brought this month against a senior port executive and two other officials linked to a controversial development near Kuala Lumpur known as the Port Klang Free Trade Zone.

The arrests followed a damning parliamentary report that found widespread corruption and cost overruns at the project, which has run up debts of more than $1bn.

[kualaws]

unbelievable the stealing can be covered so long.
i am a little curious which country in south america would buy the two american-made engines. i thought countries in the continent got many russian jets.

[Skywatcher]

The currently theory is that it's being routed to Iran, which still flies F-5Es.

[xinhui]

no, found them in South America.









anyways


http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sub/...365925,00.html

Published December 30, 2009

Replacing MiG aircraft waste of money: Dr M
He observes govt's purchase of new fighter jets would benefit middlemen


By PAULINE NG
IN KUALA LUMPUR



FORMER Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has condemned a government plan to
replace its 18 MiG-29N Fulcrum jets as wasteful. His rationale is that the fleet,
acquired during his tenure, is still only about 15 years old.



Mr Hamidi: Fulcrums are being phased out because their weaponry has reached the end of
its lifespan
His comments will brighten the spotlight on Malaysia's defence spending and the Royal
Military Air Force, which is already under public scrutiny following revelations last
month that two jet engines had been stolen from its base in 2007 but the theft was only
discovered much later.

Given the raging controversy over the missing engines, said to cost RM50 million (S$20.4
million) each and which have recently been traced to Argentina, Dr Mahathir's omission
of the topic in his latest blog posting made it all the more conspicuous.

Even so, Prime Minister Najib Razak's administration was not spared his views about a
fleet replacement during economically uncertain times, especially if they could be
upgraded or overhauled.

If Malaysia was not capable of doing it, perhaps Russia which sold Malaysia the jets, or
India which continues to use its Fulcrums beyond the 20-year lifespan, could, he said.

He also observed the government's purchase of new fighter jets would benefit middlemen,
earning them million-dollar commissions. 'Did their influence factor in the decision to
phase out the MiGs and to purchase new jets?'

With the government already reeling from the jet engine fiasco, Dr Mahathir's
observations could resonate with many fed up with the huge leakages and corruption in
public sector procurement.

Although crime continues to be a problem in the country - particularly in the bigger
cities - Malaysia does not face discernible external threats which necessitate a fatter
allocation in the area. Nevertheless, the country has spent RM20 billion over the past
three years on defence, RM8.2 billion in the last year.

Interestingly, the percentage of negotiated contracts, whether based on value or
numbers, has been on the rise. Last year, more than half or 54 per cent of contracts by
value were negotiated, a practice the government has defended on grounds of 'national
security'. In 2006, only a third by value were negotiated.

The 18 Fulcrums, which cost about RM1.3 billion, were delivered in 1995 and are being
phased out at the end of next year, 10 years ahead of schedule, because the weaponry for
the jets had reached the end of its lifespan, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told
Parliament earlier this year.

Extending the lifespan would be costly and not viable as the jets have to be sent to
Russia, he said, adding the phase-out would save the government an estimated RM260
million annually.

The Fulcrums are to be replaced by Russian Sukhoi Flankers, which under the procurement
contract would come with support services. The Fulcrums did not come with maintenance
support and were therefore costly to maintain.