science still falls short of being able to differentiate sound. these headsets filter the highest decibel and nothing more, ie: ear muffs that only work with loud noises.

also, head protection only works with small arms fire. No use when up against assault / sniper rifles

I usually embrace all ideas , but this one is definitely worth shooting down ! A "defence writer" who does not even bother to get his facts right ? MAS has received 4 of their new 738 and a further dry lease of 5 b738 (no sky interior) as of August 2011. 2 A330's have been delivered since March (9M-MTA , MTB) not none as the writer stated.

If he can't even be bothered to find out basic and much touted facts (in Khazanah's bulletin, MAS Going Places, NST , The Star, Maybank Finanicals, etc etc ) how dare he even try and estimate the amount it would cost to convert these planes into AWACS ? And what's with taking MH's planes ?? Why not AirAsia's ?

MH does not have too many planes . It's AirAsia with their multi billion dollar order of 200++ A320's that will face this problem as their delivery dates get nearer and nearer. I speculate that Tony bought these planes now ala Ryanair with their B738 order, when he can afford them (or seems to anyway) jamming up the order list and forcing other airlines to lease these planes to them with a good margin.

The MAS BBJ was given to the Federal Gov as a cost saving measure (MAS didn't have to pay and Khazanah got a gigantic tax relief) , and also because no one but our Sultans could have used it anyway. I remember an article where if you are not royalty, you will have to take off your shoes upon entering ... And this plane , DiRaja 1 did not have to go through any modification since it was already a VVIP transport .. so no $$ wasted.

Why does the writer not cite Singapore as an example instead ? They are using 2 converted Fokker 50 for maritime patrols and it seems to be doing them well. But since their maintenance is getting more and more expensive let's not take that route. There are 5 of Berjaya's Q-400 STOL just waiting for buyers, Transmile MD11, B732 and B722 also sitting around Subang doing nothing. If TUDM had really wanted a AWACS badly I'm sure these aircraft would have been worthy for the task.

A more realistic scenario is that TUDM does not actually need an AWACS. What would it do in peacetime anyway ? IMHO they are going the route of drones or aircraft big enough just to monitor a small hotspot, eg: human traffickers (land /sea), pirates, SAR etc. So a Gulfstream would be more than adequate

An accurate perception but this "insurance" has to be much more tactical than just arming ourselves up. No war in history has ever been won without allies. And this is the route I see M'sia taking. We don't need these big fancy machines now or for the next 30-50 years. I'm not saying we don't need an Airbone Platform, but certainly no need for a full scale AWACS. After all, how many of our fighters are required to be on CAP 24/7 ?? = 0 .

So even if we did have an E3 or M-2075 Phalcon , it would probably be sitting in its hanger waiting for the next photoshoot.

Allies. Lots of them

thanks for the one liner. I reckon Singapore is good enough.

Humor me by stating who would gain by launching a full scale assault on us ?

as what others have said before, it is because the requirements of the vessels changes over time. Almost all UK military projects have come in cheaper & faster than any other nations