Cadet Officer Rakhvinder Singh emerges top of the class at RMN graduation day


Rakhvinder Singh receives award from Yang di-Pertuan Agong

Rakhvinder Singh emerged as the shining at the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) graduate cadet officers’ training.

And it was no less than the Malaysian monarch who presented him the award as the Overall Best Graduate Cadet Officer for the 26th batch.

The Ipoh-born 25-year old cadet officer was appointed as the commanding officer of the 26th batch based on his commitment and dedication throughout the training session, according to a write-up shared at the RMN Facebook page.

His father Gurbanjan Singh is a moulder at an Ipoh-based factory while his mother Naranjan Kaur is a housewife.

Sultan Abdullah officiated the commissioning ceremony for MAF cadet officers at the Perdana Camp in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, on 16 March 2019. At the event, he consented to commission 504 MAF cadet officers who completed their bachelor degrees at the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia and other public higher institutions of learning, reports Bernama.

According to Dzirhan, apparently the old Laksamana-class Corvettes are getting a refit? Man, I thought they were gonna be retired when we get the LMS.

More expensive to operate though. Also they need more crew as the ships arent as automated as modern ships.

Also, from what I heard, they already removed the Otomat AShM missile launchers, the forward 100mm gun and reinstalled the rear 76mm gun in the forward position instead.

What I'm most pissed off regarding recent local military fuckups is the clusterfuck that is the Kedah-class OPVs.

Not only the horribly corrupt management of the PSC shipyard managed to overblow the budget halfway until the government had to bail them out and transfer the project to Boustead, not to mention the PSC CEO, Amin Shah embezzled millions from the project and managed to flee to Dubai.

Then the construction was delayed repeatedly due to technical and QC issues, ballooning the cost even further. And then the final nail in the coffin was that even when the ships was finally launched and ready to put into service, there were no funds to properly arm the ships with missiles and they were forced to serve just as oversized OPVs.

With such a cursed existence, the government seems to glad to wash its hands of the project, leaving the class with only six overpriced & oversized OPVs. And to think that the Kedah-class corvettes were to once originally planned to be the cornerstone of TLDM's power with 27 ships and be the base to secure Malaysian naval supremacy in the region.

Really?

According to Marhalim the reason the Gagah Samudera-class was delayed was that the original builder, NGV Tech shipyard was foreclosed by banks in 2013 because they couldn't sevice their loans and the government had to look for another yard capable of finishing construction. All the while the two hulls were left unfinished.

The replacement yard, Grade One Shipyard was only given the project in 2016 and the ships were finally launched late
last year.

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Houthi 'suicide drone' explodes at King Khalid Air Base, destroying two Saudi Tornado attack jets



The Mail on Sunday can also reveal how RAF engineers sent to Saudi Arabia to repair the kingdom’s fleet of military aircraft narrowly escaped death last week. Iranian-backed rebels launched a ‘suicide drone’ strike on the King Khalid air base, where they are maintaining Tornado jets used to bomb civilian areas in Yemen.

According to reports, the drone exploded on the runway, destroying two Tornados. The MoD said no UK personnel were wounded.

In response to the revelations, former Minister Andrew Mitchell said last night the UK was ‘shamefully complicit’ in Saudi Arabia’s role in Yemen. He called on the Government to provide further explanations to Parliament about the role of the British troops.

In related news, at least five British Special Forces commandos have been wounded in gun battles as part of a top-secret UK military campaign in Yemen, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The elite Special Boat Service (SBS) troops, whose presence in the war-ravaged country is shrouded in secrecy, suffered gunshot injuries in fierce clashes with Iranian-backed rebel militia in recent months.

The SBS men were treated for leg and arm wounds following the battles in the Sa’dah area of northern Yemen, where up to 30 crack British troops are based. The casualties are understood to be now recovering in the UK.

A SBS source said: ‘The guys are fighting in inhospitable desert and mountainous terrain against highly committed and well-equipped Houthi rebels. The SBS’s role is mainly training and mentoring but on occasions they have found themselves in firefights and some British troops have been shot.

‘In a contact a few weeks ago, a SBS guy was shot in the hand and another guy was shot in the leg. Their injuries were a reminder that this is a very dangerous assignment. Obviously nothing about the mission will be confirmed publicly by the Ministry of Defence unless a UK soldier is killed – they’d have to announce that.’

The Government’s official position is that it is seeking a ‘sustainable political solution to the Yemen conflict’.

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Sibmas lama jadi target practice

ATM Mechanized Infantry dismounting from an Adnan Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). Note the squad RPG-7 gunner (with launcher) and loader (with grenade ammunition backpack) covering both sides of the hatch as the other troops disembark.

If the government really decided it's going down this road, at least make sure buy them in significant numbers enough for a serious air defence fleet. Don't go buy 10 or 15 only. Buy at least 30.

When say most fighter planes are expensive, so we buy few only. Now can get cheaper fighter plane don't go saying that excuse also when you only buy 15 of those only also.

paling tak boleh blah, dah la fighter murah, pastu beli 10 aje.

But acquire some test drive planes means the interest is there. At least last time got rumors only.

The plane itself is IMO a decent light fighter, but not one Malaysia should buy though.


This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: Apr 1 2019, 09:14 PM

Muhibbah Shipyards offers Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) design for MMEAs 'mothership' requirement


Muhibbah's MPMS design

The Malaysian shipyard Muhibbah Engineering introduced a multirole variant of its commercial Offshore Support Vessel design at the LIMA 2019 exhibition. As the name implies, the Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) is designed to perform a wide range of tasks. Its utmost important role is to act as a 'mothership' for smaller vessels and day/night operations.

The MPMS can be deployed by military, security and law enforcement agencies in Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) or other areas of interest. The MPMS therefore expands and extends the operational range of smaller vessels and rotorcraft. "The MPMS may be proposed as a lighter but cheaper solution than Mobile Offshore Platforms," a Muhibbah Engineering representative told Naval News.

With its long range capability, the MPMS is able to fulfill variety of missions, from maritime operations support to anti-piracy, C2, forward logistics operations and mobile SAR and HADR operations. With this in mind, Muhibbah logically targets the Malaysian Coast Guard, the MMEA. " We are expecting a preliminary order for two vessels, with an option for two more," the representative added.

The MPMS is a stretched variant of the MV Polaris 85 meters Buoy Tender Vessel class. Muhibbah extended the hull to 100 meters in order to create more space for crew and mission systems. It allows the MPMS to deploy up to five CJ66 Fast Interceptor Crafts and two smaller RHIBs for boarding parties or special forces troops. The CJ66 FIC features a 12 meters-long composite hull and an endurance of 250 nm. It is powered by three Mercury Verado engines (350 hp), allowing a maximum speed of 60 knots.


Muhibbah's CJ66 Interceptor Boat

But the most important structure remains the helipad mounted above the ship’s bow. According to the Muhibbah drawing, the landing deck will be strengthened enough to receive the MMEA's AW 139 medium-sized helicopter.

The MPMS can transport a substantial amount of fuel, water and provisions to accommodate 154 sailors, helicopters crews and supporting troops for up to 30 days.

The weapons package of the MPMS includes 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns and 1 x 30 mm RWS autocannon, the latter being currently discussed with the Turkish company Aselsan which already provides the system for the Royal Malaysian Navy and MMEA.

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MRSS proposals for TLDM at LIMA 19

TUDM wants to replace the BAe Hawk with a new Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)


Malaysia is looking to replace its aeging BAe Hawks with a new Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fleet

LANGKAWI: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) requires between RM6 billion and RM7 billion of funding from the government to acquire 36 light combat aircraft (LCA).

RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Affendi Buang said the new requirement for the LCA would enable the air force to keep up with advanced technology and capability.

“Our BAE Hawks are now already passing 25 years in service.

“We have to do forward planning due to the aging factor as the maintenance for the fighter jet is getting costly and its capabilities are not up to date,” he told the New Straits Times at the RMAF office at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) 2019.

The fighter jets are currently being used to monitor the airspace at the South China Sea and the eastern part of Sabah.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Malaysia would remain interested in acquiring new fighter aircraft, but was not in a hurry as the ones the air force operated now were still performing well.

Expressing his concern, Affendi said RMAF’s new requirement for the LCA would be dependent on the government’s ability to afford procurements, as well as its priorities.

“Therefore, we have set up our Capability 55 (CAP55) blueprint for realistic planning accordingly, based on what the government can afford.

“Our priority is tailored to the government budget limitations.

“We will try to get our LCA first before the multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) requirements,” he said, adding that RMAF was likely to wait about 10 years to realise the MRCA programme.

RMAF’s blueprint will further describe future requirements to enhance its assets and force capabilities for long-term development until 2055.

Under CAP55, it is understood the air force was also seeking maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based missiles and radar, among others, by 2055.

Affendi said RMAF was currently still sourcing out suitable platforms for its new LCA requirements and could not identify the exact model of the fighter jet.

“We can only determine the aircraft model once we do proper evaluations. We issued request-for-information to all contenders (manufacturers) in the LCA category earlier this year.”

It is understood that the LCA contenders included the Korea-made T-50 Golden Eagle, Russia’s YAK-130, Leonardo M-346FA, BAE Systems Hawk, India’s Tejas and the JF-17 Thunder from Pakistan.

Affendi said there was no specific time frame for RMAF to acquire the new LCA, as everything depended on the government’s budget allocation.

“Once the government allocates the budget, probably the LCA delivery will start two to three years after a decision is made,” he said, adding that the delivery would then continue in phases for the next five to 10 years.

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TH Heavy Engineering sedia jadi peneraju industri pembinaan Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) negara



LANGKAWI: TH Heavy Engineering Bhd (TH Heavy) bersedia menjadi peneraju dalam industri pembinaan Kapal Peronda Luar Pantai (OPV) untuk kegunaan agensi penguatkuasaan di negara ini.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan TH Heavy, Suhaimi Badrul Jamil, berkata syarikat kini giat menyiapkan pembinaan tiga OPV bernilai RM740 juta untuk kegunaan Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (Maritim Malaysia).

"Awal tahun depan, ketiga-tiga kapal yang sedang dibina di Limbungan Pulau Indah, Selangor itu bakal diserahkan kepada Maritim Malaysia.


Model OPV untuk kegunaan APMM

"Berbekalkan pengalaman itu, kami mampu membina kapal yang panjangnya mencecah sehingga 120 meter," katanya ketika ditemui di gerai pameran TH Heavy di Pusat Pameran Antarabangsa Mahsuri (MIEC) di sini, hari ini.

Beliau berkata, berbekalkan 400 pekerja yang mahir dalam pembinaan kapal, TH Heavy yakin memperoleh projek baharu seterusnya membantu menjana keuntungan kepada syarikat.

"TH Heavy berbangga apabila menjadi menerima tunggal sijil pengiktirafan daripada Jabatan Laut Malaysia (JLM) berkaitan keselamatan dan kawalan aset serta kerja-kerja baik pulih kapal di limbungan.

"Jadi, pelanggan kami tidak perlu risau terhadap aset mereka yang dihantar ke limbungan untuk dibaiki atau aset baharu yang kami bina untuk kegunaan mereka," katanya.

Selain itu, Suhaimi berkata, TH Heavy juga adalah penerima sijil Organisasi Standard Antarabangsa (ISO) iaitu ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 dan Sistem Pengurusan Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan OHSAS 18001:2007.

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What to do, that time need to please our PRC overlords.

IMO if the APMM OPV design proves to be a success, the RMN should scrap the LMS part of their plan and just replace them with OPVs. Everything about the LMS gets on my nerves.

Good news! first APMM OPV will be launched by year's end. After that the remaining 2 OPVs will be launched at 6-month intervals.



From Malaysian Defence:

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Or another solution is to replace the NGPV element of the 15-to-5 plan with new-build OPVs.

The current Kedah-class will never ever get properly armed anyway and to use a still exensive downgraded corvette as an OPV is a waste of cost and resources. BNS has already offered an OPV-only NGPV 2nd batch but the MEKO design is so expensive, BNS can only produce it for RM 500 million per ship (!).

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Malaysia decides on Su-30MKM life extension program over new MRCA acquisition



Malaysia’s SU-30MKM fighter jets are now almost certain to get a life extension following the launch of a local enterprise to perform deep maintenance on the Russian-made fighter jets.

Consequently, a plan to purchase the Dassault Rafale or the Eurofighter, as part of the Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) project may be delayed indefinitely as Kaula Lumpur grapples with budget cuts and a deepening palm oil crisis with the European Union.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed more or less shut the door the MRCA in the near future when he launched the first locally-overhauled Su-30MKM at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) show last week.

The overhaul had been performed by Aerospace Technology Systems Corp (ATSC) a Malaysian-Russian company formed especially for spares and servicing of Russian Su-30MKM. An ATSC executive told defenseworld.net, “it is possible that we will progress from service and overhaul to full upgrade. The airframe and engines of the Sukhois is still very good and we are talking of a life extension of 10-15 years.”

During a ceremony to launch the refurbished Su-30MKM, Mahathir said, “the aircraft we bought some time back still can perform well with proper maintenance.” He was most probably hinting at the Su-30MKMs of which only 4 out of 18 were reportedly in a fly-worthy condition according to Defence Minister Mohammed Sabu who had told parliament in August 2018.

However, at the LIMA event, some 10 S-30MKMs could be seen on the airfield at Langkawi and one performed dazzling aerobatics setting at rest some of the speculation.

“We will think of buying airplanes from China or any other country," Dr Mahathir said during the course of a press conference during LIMA. The PM was responding to questions regarding purchase of European jets in the light of the EU’s proposed plan to end the use of palm oil in biofuels.

Mahathir is known for his anti-western stance. The MRCA procurement had moved forward during the time of his predecessor, Najib Razak whose government was reported to have opened negotiations with France for buying a squadron of the Rafale jets. An executive from Dassault Aviation, told this correspondent at LIMA, “we are hopeful of selling to Malaysia as the MRCA is needed by its Air Force.”

However, the Russians now seem to be smelling blood. Viktor Kladov, director, international cooperation of Russia’s Rostec holding company said in LIMA, “we have offered to substantially hike palm oil imports from Malaysia in exchange for increased arms sales.

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Dah takde duit, camni je la

I don't know if the words can be used to describe a ship, but this seems more dignified and proud than the LMS model, which looks like an overgrown coastal patrol boat.

Anyway, APMM has started the Pelan Perancangan Strategik Maritim Malaysia 2040 (PPSMM 2040).

Although the exact plan is not made public the plan has 5 Strategic goals (matlamat strategik) and 10 strategic objectives (objektif strategik). Some of the known targets to be had by 2040:

– 9,414 personnel
– C4ISR and surveillance of the whole of malaysian waters and EEZ
– 20 large patrol ships
– 96 medium patrol ships
– 228 boats less than 20m in length (95 interceptors, 133 RHIB)
– 15 Helicopters
– 12 Fixed wing aircraft

Before this the NGPC the APMM had all its ships & boats from hand-me-downs from the TLDM. Now with the construction of the NGPC and OPV, it seems that they are starting to get new-build vessels that fits their requirements as opposed to simply using old warships and patrol boats.