RMAF on lookout to buy maritime patrol aircraft
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Air Force ( RMAF) is keen to acquire more maritime related assets to beef up the country’s security level amid mounting threats
RMAF chief Datuk Seri Gen Affendi Buang said the plans to acquire new maritime patrol aircraft was in the pipeline as part of RMAF’s capability development plan.
“The plans very much depend on funds, government allocation. We are waiting for budget,” he told Bernama via a phone text message here yesterday.
However he was tight-lipped on the details of the assets that RMAF was keen to acquire, adding that RMAF was open to choices and several types of maritime patrol aircraft were available in in the market.
An online portal recently quoted Gen Affendi as saying that RMAF was considering a few options to enhance the maritime patrol capabilities which was currently being undertaken by the Beechcraft B200T aircraft.
“Due to the age factor ( 23 years) and limited number and capabilities, more capable and fully- fledged maritime new patrol aircraft platforms with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( ISR) and synthetic aperture radar ( SAR) capabilities are being evaluated to replace the B200T aircraft,” he was quoted as saying by Shephard Media.
Affendi had also told Bernama on the sidelines of the the 52nd Paris Air Show held at at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris recently that acquisition of new and high capable assets were crucial for capability development following the Trilateral Maritime Patrol ( TMP) arrangement between Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
On June 19, Malaysia entered into the TMP arrangement with the two countries to ensure militant threats such as the Daesh militant group do not use the Sulu Sea to gain entry into these countries, particularly following the Marawi city incident. — Bernama