Malaysia Has An Option Now To Consider Advanced Super Hornets, Says Boeing Official

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia can now
consider the Advanced Super Hornet for its multi-role
combat aircraft needs, which offers significant
retrofittable enhancements, including a 50 per cent
increase in the capability to avoid radar detection, an
enhanced engine and additional 260 nautical miles range.

Mike Gibbons, Boeing's Vice-President for F/A-18 &
EA-18 Programmes, said the fighter aircraft's additional
combat range has been made possible because of the
conformal fuel tanks, which gives it a great advantage in
being able to fly faster than with external tanks, making
it more formidable against enemy aircraft and other
threats.

This, along with other advanced features such as an
upgraded electronic warfare system, integrated counter-
measure system and enclosed weapons pod, has caught
the eye of many of the Super Hornet's current and
potential customers including the US Navy and Royal
Australian Air Force.

Gibbons said the increase in price for the Advanced
Super Hornet package would currently be nil because
Malaysia can buy the Block II Super Hornet and then
decide what it wants to do later in terms of retrofitting.

These advancements, which could be affordably
retrofitted on an existing Block II Super Hornet aircraft or
included on a new jet, were relayed to the Royal
Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) and Defence Ministry
officials during Gibbons recent visit to Malaysia.

RMAF reportedly has a requirement for 18 fighters to
replace its MiG-29s as well as for three airborne early
warning aircraft.

Depending on what the customer wants, Gibbons said
the additional cost of the full suite of the enhancements
and what he describes as technology evolutionary
changes to the renowned Super Hornet fighter aircraft
would be about 10 per cent.

"We, the Hornet Industry Team, comprising Boeing and
our partners Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and GE
Aviation, always like to push the edge of what we can
do to the jet beyond the customers' requirements," he
told a media briefing.

Designed with a lot of growth, he said: "Customers see
what we can do (when) we mature the technologies and
they want those (advancements)."
Boeing and the Hornet Industry Team are investing in
next-generation capabilities, so warfighters have what
they need and when they need it, which enables the
customer to acquire it in a cost-effective manner.

The improvements will ensure that the Advanced Super
Hornet outpaces enemy aircraft and defences through
2030 and beyond, especially when that enemy tries to
deny access to a specific area, such as skies over
international waters near its assets.

The enhanced features of the Advanced Super Hornet
could be made available to customers as early as in
2018, Gibbons said, adding that its advanced crew
station was in immediate demand in the international
fighter market.

Additional advanced features customers can get the
Advanced Super Hornet include enhanced survivability,
internal infra-red search and track (IRST), radar
upgrades, an enhanced engine that includes a 20 per
cent greater thrust, and a next-generation cockpit.

Advanced Super Hornet prototype flights commenced on
Aug 5, 2013 from Boeing's manufacturing plant in St
Louis, the United States.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/ge/ne...l.php?id=980341

Malaysia still committed to MRCA, says defence minister

Malaysia's requirement for 18 multirole combat aircraft
to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force's MiG-29 fleet
is still ongoing, Malaysian Defence Minister
Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said on 21 September.

Speaking at a press conference during the Malaysian
Armed Forces Day parade in Kuala Lumpur, he said: "It is
ongoing but any announcement will not be at the
Ministry of Defence level as it is being discussed at the
higher level of government."

The decision to start a formal procurement process will
be made by the Malaysian prime minister and his cabinet
- a normal practice in Malaysia for large cost
government programmes.

In response to a query as to when a request for
proposals would be made, Hishammuddin declined to
give a specific timeframe, only saying, "we will announce
it at the right time".

In other developments, the Malaysian Armed Forces Day
parade saw the public unveiling of the Malaysian Army
new digital camouflage pattern uniforms along with an
under-evaluation vehicle digital pattern camouflage.

Malaysian Chief of Defence Force General Zulkifeli
Mohammed Zin said the new uniform would be phased
in, with combat units the first to transition over. He
added that the Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal

Malaysian Air Force will soon also introduce their own
specific digital pattern uniforms. Armour and
mechanised infantry officers at the parade told IHS
Jane's that the vehicle digital pattern was still
undergoing field trials and the final pattern may change.

http://www.janes.com/article/27429/malaysi...efence-minister

sg bought 2a4, the same as indonesia
just that they upgrade internal and uparmor into leo2sg spec



top: stock 2a4
below: 2sg spec
the 2sg is actually bigger and heavier - look at increase in width at the track skirt

the germans are offering upgrade to "revolution" spec for old 2a4 to the indonesians

New RMAF plane plays three roles

FLEXIBILITY: Airbus A400M can do the jobs of 3 aircraft
SEVILLA (SPAIN): A RADICAL shift is expected in the way the Royal
Malaysian Airforce (RMAF) approaches military and humanitarian
missions, once it takes delivery of the new Airbus A400M Atlas
aircraft.

The aircraft, dubbed the "next generation airlifter", is to play a pivotal
role in the airforce's operations once it comes into service in two
years.

Airbus Military head of media relations Maggie Bergsma said first of
four aircraft ordered by RMAF was expected to be delivered by the
2015 deadline.

"We are on track and the first delivery for Malaysia is scheduled for
2015. We have launched long-lead items up to MSN33, which includes
two A400Ms for Malaysia. The fourth delivery for the RMAF is
scheduled for 2016," she said.

RMAF had placed an order for the aircraft on Dec 8, 2005.
She said the A400M was expected to change the way military and
humanitarian operations were carried out by RMAF.
Bergsma said this was due to the A400M's ability to perform tasks
that were previously executed by three aircraft.

"The A400M will mark a difference in the way military and
humanitarian missions are approached.
"The versatility of the A400M allows one aircraft to do the job of three
aircraft.

"The A400M can deliver the contents of its bigger payload faster,
further and nearer to where it is needed.

"The RMAF will not only have three aircraft in one with each A400M, it
will also have an aircraft that can do better than these three together.
This is certainly a change. And it is a change for good."

On the question of the difficulty in transition between the RMAF's fleet
of C-130 fleet and the A400M, Bergsma said this would not be a
problem.

"The RMAF was involved in the programme from the start and is fully
participating with the Airbus Military teams to prepare for the delivery
and entry into service."

She said discussions were in place with Malaysia to ensure that all
services needed for the operation of the aircraft were ready in time for
the delivery.

Malaysia joins seven airforces -- Belgium, France, Germany,
Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom -- to have the
A400M in their fleets.

Bergsma said Malaysia, like all of the A400M launch customers, had
been participating in the design and manufacturing of several A400M
secondary composite structural components.

She said Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) was the
sole source of such components, notably the complete vertical tail
plane leading edge, the main landing gear doors, and access panels on
the wings and horizontal tail plane, plus nacelle fairings.

She said this following the delivery ceremony of the A400M in Airbus
Military's production facility in Sevilla, Spain, on Sunday.

The ceremony was graced by Felipe, Prince of Asturias. Also present
was French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
 
http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/new-r...-roles-1.372416

i look around the net and only found stories about our MIGs vs the USMC hornets. Where's our Flanker? Any detail on the latest air exercise between USAF/USN/USMC vs RMAF involving flanker?

A cockpit video of MKM pilot, or is it a WSO?

F-35 Malaysia? Am i in a Coma?



http://malaysiamilitarypower.blogspot.com/...n-coma.html?m=1