Japan seeks to give P-3 patrol planes to Malaysia

Japan is looking to donate retired military patrol aircraft to Malaysia, letting that Southeast Asian country keep closer watch over the South China Sea to rein in China's maritime expansion.
Parliament is currently weighing revisions to the foundational law of the Ministry of Defense that would allow equipment to be given to other nations at no cost. Currently, some form of compensation is legally required for any national asset. Malaysia will likely be the first beneficiary once that change is made, receiving P-3C patrol aircraft previously used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
nikkei

Malaysia Takes Delivery of its Third A400M

RMAF took official delivery of its third A400M airlifter at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Seville.
It is yet to be determined when the A400M will fly to Subang airbase, the home of 22nd Skn, but based on previous two A400Ms, it is likely that the aircraft will make it home by July.
The 03 was supposed to be delivered in April but was delayed after engine and air-frame problems were in discovered in German and French A400ms.
RMAF had never officially confirmed whether its A400Ms were also affected by the problems but the first aircraft was seen in its hangar in early March with its engine panels opened.
The 22nd Skn currently operates two A400Ms, the first arrived in March, 2015 while the second in late December. The fourth and final aircraft is expected to be delivered by year end.
It is expected with the fourth A400M delivered, 22 Skn will ramped up its operational use of the air-lifters. Although the squadron had conducted test loading of Army vehicles, mostly 4X4s trucks, it had yet to conduct flights carrying them.
Currently, the two A400Ms of the 22 Skn mostly carry personnel and their belongings. The longest known trip so far is to Korat airbase in Thailand, in support of the Air-Thamal 2016, the annual exercise between RMAF and the Thai Air Force.
defense-studies

Malaysia To Receive Second A400M in December

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief said the second A400M will be received in early December.
This is the second of four aircraft bought in December 2005. The first was received on March 9.
bernama

France Offers Rafale in Malaysian Contest

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has formally pitched the Dassault Rafale in Malaysia’s tender for fighter jets.
France has submitted an offer of the Rafale, marking the start of official discussions on this subject between France and Malaysia.
Le Drian, with a high-level political and industrial team, landed in Malaysia Tuesday and visited the Sudang airbase where Malaysia’s first Airbus A400M transport aircraft is stationed. The two ministers underlined at the news conference their strategic partnership and the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in maritime security, anti-terrorism and anti-piracy.
The Rafale competes with the Boeing F/A-18, Saab Gripen and Eurofighter Typhoon as Malaysia seeks 18 new fighters to replace its MiG-29s. Kuala Lumpur is unlikely to make a pick before 2018 as the Asian nation has been hit by a fall in the price of oil and commodities.
defensenews

3 out of 4 four engines on the crashed Airbus A400M were ‘power frozen'

Airbus said Wednesday that three of the four engines on an A400M military plane failed before it crashed near Seville, Spain last month, killing four people.
In a statement, Airbus Defense and Space says the faulty engines were confirmed by Spanish accident investigators after completing their preliminary analysis of the aircraft's digital flight data and cockpit voice recorders.
Three of the hulking gray aircraft's four turboprop engines suffered what it called "power frozen" after lift-off, and failed to respond to the crew's efforts to regain control. A fourth engine responded normally. No other problems have been identified by the preliminary analysis.
Airbus says the A400M's eight-bladed turboprop engines are the most powerful in production. They are built by a consortium made up of Rolls Royce, Snecma, MTU and ITP.
Last month Airbus sent a so-called Alert Operator Transmission notice to all operators of the giant airlifter, warning them of the need to perform checks of its Electronic Control Units before they are next flown.
Four of the five countries that already have A400Ms — Britain, Germany, Malaysia and Turkey — grounded the plane after the crash. France, which has six, says it will only use the aircraft in urgent operations.
Twelve of the aircraft were delivered as of March, with Malaysia's air force being the most recent customer. A further five aircraft were due to be delivered to Germany this year, but Airbus has notified the German government to expect delays.
businessinsider

Malaysia to upgrade MiG-29N

The Royal Malaysian Air Force fleet of MiG-29N fighter aircraft will remain an important asset to the country's air defence. RMAF chief said there has been no decision to replace the MIG-29N which had been in service since 1990 and the aircraft will still remain in service. He said RMAF will scrutinise the capabilities of the existing MIG-29N fleet to ensure it remains competitive and relevant in safeguarding the country's air space. "Initially, there were plans to phase out the aircraft and replace them with another multi-role combat aircraft. "However, we have decided to upgrade the aircraft to ensure it has similar capabilities with fighter jets owned by other countries," he told reporters after opening RMAF's 57th anniversary here today.
nst

Spanish Air Force Takes Over Airbus A400M Crash Probe

Spain's air force has taken over the investigation of the crash of an Airbus A400M military cargo plane near Seville which killed four men.
The Spanish government intially charged a civilian team made up of experts from the transport and defense ministries to probe the crash, the first of an A400M airlifter.
The civilian team "took the decision to withdraw because they understood that the plane has specific characteristics due to its military configuration which they were unfamiliar with".
Spain's military air crash investigation agency, CITAAM, took charge of the investigation at the beginning of the week.
The A400M plane that crashed in a field and burst into flames just north of Seville's airport on Saturday was several minutes into a test flight before it was due to be delivered to Turkey in July.
Spain on Tuesday became the fifth country to ground its A400Ms pending the outcome of the crash investigation, following similar decisions by Britain, Germany, Turkey and Malaysia.
France, which has six of the planes in active operation, said it would only carry out the most pressing flights until more details emerge on why the plane went down.
German newsweekly Der Spiegel reported that the plane experienced multiple engine failure, citing comments by one of the crash survivors.
defensenews

Airbus Holds First A400M Test Flight Since Crash

Airbus on Tuesday carried out the first test flight of a new A400M since one of the military transport planes crashed in Spain over the weekend, killing four people.
In a sign of the company's confidence in the plane, the boss of Airbus Military Fernando Alonso was onboard the test flight, which took off from the company's Toulouse, France headquarters bound for Seville.
The A400M behaved normally, all scheduled tests were carried out.
The huge transport plane landed at Seville airport at 4:35 p.m (1435 GMT) after doing a loop above the runway.
The A400M that crashed in a field and burst into flames just north of Seville's airport was several minutes into a test flight, and due to be delivered to Turkey in July.
Earlier Tuesday, Spain became the fifth country to ground its A400Ms awaiting for the causes of the accident to become clearer, following similar decisions by Britain, Germany, Turkey and Malaysia.
France, which has six of the planes in active operation, said it would only carry out the most pressing flights until more facts emerge on why the plane went down.
Spanish authorities on Sunday located the two cockpit recorders and handed them over to the judge investigating the cause of the accident.

The plane experienced multiple engine failure, according to a report in German newsweekly Der Spiegel, which cited comments from one of the crash survivors.
A total of 174 A400M planes have been ordered by eight nations, which are seeking to replace their ageing Hercules fleets.
About 20 of the planes are currently on the assembly line in different stages of production.
There are a total of 12 A400M planes currently in service — in addition to the six operated by France, Britain and Turkey have two each and Malaysia and Germany both have one.
defensenews

Malaysia Halts A400M Flights

Malaysia Defence Minister Monday confirmed that Malaysia has temporarily halted the operations of its military Airbus A400M fleet following a crash involving the transport carrier during a test flight in Seville, Spain last Saturday.
The incident prompted Malaysia, Germany, Britain and Turkey to ground their fleets of the new troop and cargo carrier.
Malaysia has ordered four A400Ms, and has received delivery of the first aircraft on March 9, after they were purchased in 2005.
Malaysia is expected to receive two more of the aircraft by the end of this year and the last one next year.
defense-studies

Germany and United Kingdom ground A400M after Spain crash

Germany has grounded its A400M military transport aircraft after a similar plane crashed in Spain during a test flight on Saturday, the defense ministry said.
The move echoes a decision taken by Britain's Royal Air Force after the crash, in which four people died.
There was no immediate word from France, Malaysia and Turkey, which also operate the aircraft.
Germany took delivery of its first and so far only A400M, with a delay of four years, shortly before the end of 2014.
The country has ordered 53 in total, but intends to sell 13 so that its armed forces will ultimately keep only 40.
Airbus said in April Germany would receive another two to four planes this year after new schedule delays. It plans to deliver 14-18 A400Ms in total this year.
reuters

Qatar Buy 24 Rafale To Qatar on a $7 billion deal

Qatar has agreed to buy 24 Rafale fighter jets in a deal worth 6.3 billion euros.
The contract - the third this year for Dassault after deals to sell Rafale jets to Egypt and India - also includes MBDA missiles, and the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the French army.
Dassault is also in talks aimed at supplying 16 of the multi-role combat jets to Malaysia and has resumed discussions over potential fighter sales to another Gulf Arab state.
reuters

U.S. Navy alarmed at Beijing’s ‘Great Wall of sand’ in South China Sea

China is building a “Great Wall of sand” through an unparalleled program of land reclamation in the South China Sea, raising concerns about the possibility of military confrontation in the disputed waters, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Satellite images show rapid construction on various coral reefs and rocks controlled by China within the disputed Spratly Islands, including harbors, piers, helipads, buildings and potentially at least one airstrip, experts say.
China has created 1.5 square miles of artificial landmass in recent months.
China is building artificial land by pumping sand onto live coral reefs — some of them submerged — and paving them over with concrete, in a region known for its beautiful natural islands, he said.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea as its territorial waters, but its claims overlap with those of Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
Last month, Chinese Foreign Minister said that the country was merely carrying out “necessary construction on its own islands and reefs” and that it would continue to uphold freedom of navigation in the busy shipping waters of the South China Sea
washingtonpost

Dassault offers Malaysia 10-yr bank loan to fund Rafale purchase

Dassault has offered Malaysia a 10-year bank loan to support a purchase of the Rafale .
The package is similar to the one offered to Egypt, which in February ordered 24 Rafale fighters.
The repayment package offered to Malaysia features a 10-year loan provided by an unspecified French bank and guaranteed by the government of France.
Dassault is offering the Rafale to meet the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) severely delayed programme to procure a Multirole Combat Aircraft (MRCA).
janes

Malaysia Receives First A400M

Malaysia has received the first of its four Airbus Defence and Space A400M Atlas , the company announced on 10 March.
The handover of aircraft MSN022 to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) took place at the final assembly line in Seville, Spain.
The aircraft will shortly arrive in Malaysia, ahead of the LIMA Airshow that is to take place in Langkawi from 17 to 21 March.
Malaysia became the A400M's first (and so far only) export customer in 2005 when it signed a contract for four aircraft to supplement its Lockheed Martin C-130H-30/KC-130H Hercules fleet.
The RMAF was originally due to have received its first two aircraft in the second half of 2013, with the remaining pair to follow in 2014. However, this timeline was revised when the programme was re-baselined in 2009, with the commencement of deliveries put back to the first quarter of 2015. Malaysia is due to receive two more aircraft this year, with the final one set to arrive in 2016.
With 12 of the 174-aircraft orderbook now delivered to five customers (France, Germany, Malaysia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom) in a logistics configuration, Airbus DS will shortly begin rolling out additional tactical capabilities (featuring full airdrop, self-defence, and a tanker role). This will lead through to the release of the Full Common Standard Aircraft in 2018.
defense-studies

Boeing offers Super Hornet with AESA radar To Malaysia

Boeing has been negotiating since 2002 on the Super Hornet deal with the Royal Malaysian Air Force, which currently operates eight F/A-18Ds.
The version of the Super Hornet to be sold to Malaysia is called the Block II, which went into operation in 2007, and could easily integrate into current aircraft systems as Malaysia has already been flying the Super Hornet.
He said the Super Hornet is flying the most advanced AESA radar, the APG-79 by Raytheon.
defense-studies

First A400M for Malaysia makes its maiden flight

The first of four A400M ordered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force has made its maiden flight. The aircraft, known as MSN22, took off from Seville, Spain, on January 30 at 5.30pm local time and landed back on site 1 hours and 30 minutes later.
nst

Brunei confirms Black Hawk transfer to Malaysia

Brunei confirmed its intention to transfer its S-70As Black Hawks to Malaysia on 28 January.
In a statement titled 'Defence Co-operation between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia', the Brunei Ministry of Defence said that the transfer of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) S-70As to Malaysia would take place in September when the RBAF's S-70i Black Hawks become operational.
The ministry did not state how many helicopters would be transferred, but the RBAF has four S-70As in service.
The statement ended by saying that the transfer would contribute to the capabilities of the Malaysian armed forces and to the efforts of the two countries in maintaining regional peace and stability.
janes

Malaysia to upgrade and arm S-61 "Nuri" fleet

Malaysia is to boost its ability to combat future militant incursions by arming its AgustaWestland AW109s and transferring upgraded Sikorsky S-61 “Nuri” utility helicopters to army aviation control.
Prompted by an incursion made by Sulu rebels in Sabah in 2013, Kuala Lumpur has already outfitted three of the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s S-61s with 12.7mm door guns.
The army plans to arm the AW109 helicopters with 7.62mm gatling guns.
Malaysia had previously planned to remove its aged Nuri fleet from use by 2012. However, with the nation having ordered only 12 of a planned 28 Airbus Helicopters EC725s as replacements, this has forced the service to prolong the life of its Sikorskys.
If proven viable through a pilot project involving one aircraft, up to 26 S-61s will receive upgrades to their main and tail rotor blades and gearboxes, and be equipped with a digital datalink, self-protection equipment, armoured protection and a pintle-mounted machine gun at the cargo door.
Malaysia’s interest in acquiring a dedicated attack helicopter capability has failed to advance due to budget pressures. Its army has previously evaluated types including the Airbus Helicopters Tiger, Bell AH-1Z, Boeing AH-64 Apache and Denel Rooivalk.
flightglobal

First Airbus A400M Airlifter for Malaysia Rolled Out of Paintshop

The first Airbus A400M for the Royal Malaysian Air Force has now been painted in its new colours at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Seville, Spain.
In the coming days the aircraft, known as MSN22, will perform its first ground tests and flights before delivery.
RMAF pilots, maintenance engineers and technicians are already undergoing training at the Airbus Defence and Space International Training Centre in Seville, Spain.
defense-studies

New Training Helicopters for Royal Malaysian Air Force

A decision will made soon on the company to provide the training helicopters for the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
Under the programme, RMAF will receive a number of helicopters for basic and advanced rotary training to replace the Allouette III currently still in service at its training centre.
RMAF was expected within the next “one month or so” for the programme.
The helicopters under consideration are from the Airbus Helicopters stable namely the latest variants, of the EC120 and the EC135.
Several companies have submitted the proposal under the PFI programme, apart from Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd, which currently leased two Super King Airs, to the RMAF for its multi-engine aircraft conversion training.
defense-studies