SINGAPORE -- There is no hint as yet from Malaysia’s Defence Ministry (Mindef) on the possible purchase of the Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
The aircraft was displayed in Malaysia in July last year and three months after its two-week tour of Asia, Defence Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein announced that the armed forces would receive more than 20 new assets under the Budget 2018.
The Minister also said under the Asset, Safety and Training Preparedness Agenda, among others, the air force would get four units of maritime coast guard planes to monitor the South China Sea and Malacca Straits coastlines.
Airbus’ Head of Intelligence, Reconnaissance and Surveillance (ISR) and Tactical Aircraft, Fernando Ciria said the C295’s reliable long time on station in combination with its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS), make it the perfect platform for Malaysia’s maritime patrol missions.
"The C295 has solutions that can be tailored to Malaysia’s maritime needs,” he told a roundtable session with selected Malaysian media on the sidelines of recent Singapore Airshow 2018.
He indicated that Airbus welcomed an opportunity to show the Malaysian government, in a tender, that the MPA is the best option to meet the country's requirements.
He described the C295 as a high versatility aircraft with many variants and multiple missions.
“Most of the different variants can easily be re-configured to a transport version and back, due to the palletised modular mission systems,” he said.
Malaysia together with the Philippines and Indonesia launched the Trilateral Air Patrol in October last year, on growing concerns over Islamic State in the region.
The joint air patrols complete the trilateral military collaboration in the Sulu Sea following the launch of the Trilateral Maritime Patrols six month earlier.
The air forces of Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are currently using the C295, a new generation tactical airlifter.
Malaysia currently employs Beechcraft King Air B200Ts for maritime patrols, as well as CN235 and C-130 Hercules transports.
According to industry observers, to reflect the RMAF’s preference for new aircraft, Malaysia may consider the Bombardier Q400, Airbus C295 or ATR 72.
However, the observers said secondhand Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions from Japan could be an alternative as the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is replacing it with the Kawasaki Heavy Industries P-1.
In tabling the Budget 2018, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced an allocation of RM14 billion for Mindef, a billion off from the previous budget.
Airbus has so far delivered 165 of the C295, also a twin-turboprop tactical military transport aircraft that can fly up to 11 hours.
At a cost of about US$28 million per unit, total orders of the C295 currently stand at 206.
-- BERNAMA
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