March 26, 2019 @ 2:17pm
LANGKAWI: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today witnessed the signing of an Approved Maintenance Organisation (AWO) licence agreement between Global Turbine Asia (GTA) and Europrop International (EPI), the engine manufacturer of the TP400 engine used in the A400M Atlas airlifter.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force owns and operates four A400M.
The licence agreement paves the way for GTA to bid for maintenance activities of TP400 engines.
Significantly also, the agreement marks a major milestone in the industry as it is the first time EPI is relying on a foreign third party to carry out maintenance activities on their engine.
With this signing, GTA takes another step towards becoming a regional centre of excellence for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and further accelerates the nation’s industrial growth.
GTA is a beneficiary of Malaysia’s aerospace MRO vision. In just nine years, it has grown to have proven capabilities, supporting 23 operators in the helicopter sector.
In 2015, GTA expanded into the airplane sector by undergoing a demanding certifying process. It has since been qualified with EASA Part 145 for Europrop International’s TP400, a certification standard mandatory for maintenance activities of military equipment.
Transport Minister sees great future for Lima
LANGKAWI: Future Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) exhibitions will place Malaysia in the global maritime and aerospace arena should the current momentum of local and international participation trend continue.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said with 51 per cent international and 49 local exhibitors for Lima 2019, it would augur well for Malaysia's plans and aspirations in having a good mix of defence and transport for future Lima events.
He also emphasised the ministry's participation this year, which is 40 per cent compared to the previous year.
"For Lima 2019, the MoT (Transport Ministry) pavilion is represented by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAAM), Marine Department of Malaysia, Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Port Klang Authority (PKA), Johor Port Authority, Penang Port Commission, Bintulu Port Authority and University Malaysia of Terengganu (UMT) and others.
"As for the country category, Turkey took the biggest pavillion followed by Russia, and United Kingdom, United States, China and France.
"The commercial pavilion is spearheaded by the Ministry of Transport, while the largest local company is Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd (BHIC) followed by National Aerospace & Defence Industries (NADI), Mubibbah Engineering Bhd and Sapura Group Bhd," he told the media in a briefing here today.
Loke also noted that the largest international company for Lima 2019 was Aselsan from Turkey, BAE Systems from the UK and Dassault Aviation from France.
He said the Marine Department was highlighting the e-Navigation, a system that provides marine information on board and ashore by electronic means to enhance berth navigation and related services for safety and security at sea and marine environment protection.
Further, at Lima 2019, the Malaysia Aviation Academy (MAvA) will also bring a simulator demo used for Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer during training.
"On the aviation side, Malaysia has been a member of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) since May 7, 1958, has also taken prominent role in the work of the council and continues to contribute significantly towards achieving ICAO’s vision in the global aviation industry," Loke said.
The collaboration of the Defence and Transport ministries for Lima 2019 was in line with the theme 'Defence and Commercial Connecting Intelligence'.
The event also saw more than 400 official delegates from 46 countries present and more than 40,000 trade visitors are also expected to attend the five-day event.
Lima 2019 will officially kickstart tomorrow till March 30 at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC) and at Resorts World Langkawi (RWL) for the maritime side.
The international-level event will feature defence and commercial, maritime and aerospace, shipbuilding and ship repair, civil aviation, manufacturers, maintennce, repair and overhaul (MRO), airport equipment and services, training and simulation, helicopters, safety and security equipment as well as unmanned systems, to name a few.
Lima '19 to focus on UAVs, Cyber warfare - Mohamad Sabu
ALOR
STAR: The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2019 (LIMA
‘19) in March is expected to focus on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and
cyberwar elements which are now a priority in the defence sector.
Defence
Minister Mohamad Sabu said he was confident that many new companies would be
able to showcase their capabilities in these fields.
“Malaysia
will also be enhancing its cyber defences and the use of UAVs as our security
control at sea is quite wide, from the East coast (in the Peninsular) to Sabah
and Sarawak and the waters of the South China Sea, as well as in the waters of
the Straits of Melaka, used by more than 100,000 ships each year.
“So
this form of equipment is very important and we will try to negotiate with them
(manufacturers) and look at which products are suitable for our use and within
our budget,” he said.
Mohamad
was speaking to reporters after visiting the family members of the late fireman
Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim in Kuala Kedah near here, today.
In the
meantime, he said LIMA ‘19, the 15th edition of the event since 1991, would be
the best one organised yet, as 100 per cent of the floor space had been booked
by industry players from within the country and abroad.
“Usually,
two months ahead of the event, only 70 to 80 per cent (of the floor space) is
booked, but this time, it has been fully taken up and Turkey’s participation is
among the best, because everyone knows that Turkey is currently pioneering a
relatively modern defence industry,” he said.
Meanwhile,
Mohamad said expenses for the LIMA exhibition this time were much lower than
the previous edition, but it would not affect the delivery as there were no
leakages.
In
another development, Mohamad said his ministry was ready to send military
aircraft to Sudan to bring home stranded Malaysian students, following
turbulence in the country.
He said
various large-scale aircraft carriers were ready to be flown there if signalled
by the Malaysian embassy in Khartoum.
Protestors
have reportedly flooded the roads in Khartoum since Dec 19, after the
government decided to raise the cost of bread.
The
Malaysian Embassy in Sudan has advised all Malaysian students not to take part
in any political rallies and keep themselves away from public places such as
open fields and marketplaces that could jeopardise their safety. – Bernama
By Bernama - January
6, 2019 @ 4:42pm
RM2.2bil life extension for RMAF's Sukhois
LANGKAWI:
The country’s foremost but ageing multi-role combat aircraft have been given a
new lease of life, for another 15 years.
The New
Straits Times has reliably learnt that the two squadrons of 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKM,
based at Gong Kedak in Terengganu, are being given a full refurbishment package
to the tune of RM2.2 billion, until 2035.
This
followed concerns by RMAF chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang that 40 per cent
of its assets required an immediate upgrade.
The
refurbishment package includes service life extension for the Flankers'
airframe, avionics, weapons systems and overhaul of its engines.
“Although
it appears an expensive affair, in reality, this is a huge cost-saving as the
local entity is able to manage the task at only 70 per cent of that cost (RM2.2
billion).
“Additionally,
the package allows for highly skilled Malaysian technicians and engineers to be
employed, hence, providing job opportunities for locals,” said a defence
industry senior ranking official.
The
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the NST that the deal
further enhanced the entrepreneurial skills and capability of Malaysians in
handling such a large task in the field of aviation and aerospace.
Yesterday,
the NST broke the story that Aerospace Technology Systems Corp (ATSC) had won
the deal to refurbish the Flanker jets, in stages since last year.
ATSC,
thus, became the first local entity to undertake fighter aircraft maintenance,
repair and overhaul.
The
first of the jets, with military registration number M52-11, underwent a
‘Preventive and Restoration Work’ after the fighter jet reached ten years of
active service.
Prime
Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad witnessed the handing-over of the aircraft by
ATSC to the RMAF after opening the15th edition of the Langkawi International
Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) 2019 exhibition at the Mahsuri International
Exhibition Centre at Padang Matsirat.
“ATSC
hired 10 Malaysian youths who graduated with a Masters in aircraft designing,
propulsion and flight control from the Moscow Institute of Aviation in Russia.
“An
equal number of highly skilled and professional technicians and engineers, who
had retired from the RMAF, have also been roped in to retain local expertise
and resources,” said the official.
Meanwhile,
ATSC chief executive officer Lieutenant-Colonel (Rtd) Datuk Mohd Fadzar Suhada
said the company was able to undertake the task through collaboration with
several agencies.
These,
he said, included the RMAF’s Aerospace Engineering Services Centre (Puspeka),
the Defence Ministry’s Science and Technology Research Institute (Stride),
Directorate General of Technical Airworthiness, Caidmark Sdn Bhd, Epic Aero Sdn
Bhd and SME Aerospace Sdn Bhd.
Fadzar,
who retired from the RMAF after 26 years as head of No. 11 Squadron’s
engineering branch, said they handed over the particular aircraft following 22
months of overhaul.
“We are
now capable of reducing this overhaul time frame to nine months and four months
for service life extension.
“Another
two aircraft also underwent service life extension and were recently handed
over to the RMAF.
“The
remaining 15 Sukhois will undergo similar jobs by next year,” said Fadzar, who
graduated from the Zhukovsky Flight Training Centre in Moscow in 2007.
Other
than the Flankers, the RMAF’s other ageing aircraft include the BAE Systems
Hawk 100/200 fighter jets, Boeing F/A-18D Hornets and a fleet of Lockheed C-130
Hercules, in service for over 20 years.
The
Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopters have, meanwhile, served the RMAF for over 40
years.
By Adrian David - March
26, 2019 @ 2:22pm
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