ARMY’S NEW HELICOPTERS CLEAR INITIAL TESTS
The aircraft will be brought home for further tests before deployment
THE six new MD350-G helicopters procured for the army have successfully undergone airworthiness tests in Arizona, the United States, in preparation for local delivery in August.
Army chief General Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain said the light-attack scout helicopters would undergo pre-delivery inspections by a nucleus team of senior officials from its air unit and the Defence Ministry before further action.
“Should all preparations fall in place, the helicopters would be brought home from the US in batches, to undergo further operational tests involving guided and non-guided missiles at the Army’s firing range at Asahan in Melaka.
“Once this phase is completed, the helicopters will be deployed at the air unit’s base at the Mahkota Camp in Kluang, Johor, towards the year end,” he said at the Perdana Camp in Sungai Besi here, in conjunction with the 88th Army Day anniversary on March 1.
The helicopters, he added, would be initially part of the Army Air Unit’s 881st regiment, now based at the Mahkota Camp in Kluang.
A new 882nd regiment was being established to be based in Kuantan.
The army had also built a sheltered station to accommodate three Agusta A109 light observation helicopters in Sandakan, which will also double up to facilitate the MD350-G operations, especially for the Eastern Sabah Security Command.
It is learnt that the pioneer batch of air crew, pilots and airquartermasters, as well technical support and maintenance crew, had successfully completed their training programme.
The delivery of the MD350-G had been delayed following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic last year and some technical discrepancies much earlier.
Dubbed “Little Birds”, the helicopters were initially procured for RM300 million in November 2015 from MD Helicopters Inc of US aerospace giant McDonnell Douglas Corp.
The initial terms of the contract had stipulated that the helicopters were slated for delivery in two batches — the first two by July 2017, with the other four scheduled to arrive by December 2018.
The MD530-G will replace the four Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri, which were seconded from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
This followed the decision in late 2019 by the RMAF to phase out its entire fleet of 38 Nuris after five decades of service owing to exorbitant maintenance costs.
The Nuri helicopters were grounded following a near-fatal crash at the Gubir army camp in Kedah on Aug 2, 2019.
More than 80 personnel had been reportedly killed in more than 20 crashes since the Nuris were first introduced in 1967.
ZOO Negara Malaysia, one of the country’s top tourist attractions and home to wildlife from all across the world, has found a way to open the facility to a select group of people through a new fishing activity at its Tunku Abdul Rahman Lake.
The zoo has been closed during the current Movement Control Order 2.0 (MCO 2.0) and was mostly closed last year, causing it to lose revenue from visitors, which it needs to keep operations running.
The new activity, called Jom!! Memancing@Zoo Negara, allows up to 50 anglers to try their luck fishing at the zoo’s lake from 9am to 3pm daily for RM35 per person.
The lake is named after the country’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who officiated the opening of the zoo in November 1963.
The freshwater manmade lake contains a variety of fish, such as tilapia, keli, lampam, belida, temoleh, ketutu, jelawat and the feisty haruan and toman.
Ismadi Ismail, 48, a head of security with a private company, said after he found out about the rare chance to fish at the zoo’s lake, it was an opportunity that he just had to seize.
“I first found out about it through a WhatsApp chat group for fishing and angling enthusiasts. This is my first time trying my hand fishing at this serene and beautiful lake.
“Although I have yet to catch any fish, it’s all about being patient and having the right bait. Today, I brought flour, pellets and bread as baits.
“We usually go fishing in pairs or a group of up to 10 at private ponds or by the seaside at Tanjung Harapan and Bagan Lallang. Because of the current (Covid-19 pandemic) situation, (movement) restrictions and standard operating procedures in place, I came here with a friend. We’ve been fishing since it opened at 9am.
“Another reason why I am here is that this is my way of supporting the zoo and the animals here. The zoo has been forced to close for long periods since March last year when the Covid19 virus reared its ugly head.
“So by coming here to fish, it is our small way of helping the zoo to get some much-needed income to feed the animals and pay for staff salaries,” said Ismadi.
Noreshah Othman, 55, a caterer, echoed Ismadi’s sentiments, saying that she was aware of the zoo’s plight and that she was only too happy to come and try her luck at fishing for the very first time at the facility.
“I love it here. It is peaceful and tranquil despite the fact that the enclosures of the lions, tigers and cheetahs are nearby.
“We can hear the animals growl and roar from time to time.
“It is a fishing experience like no other. I count myself lucky to be able to do so as the zoo allows only up to 50 anglers in at any given time.
“I am glad that the zoo has allowed the activity as this provides it some much-needed income, ” said Noreshah, who won her first fishing competition early
last month before the enforcement of MCO 2.0.
Former Zoo Negara employee Pvindran Jivanatham, 28, who worked there from 2015 to 2018, said he found out about the new activity from his former colleagues, and said he just could not let such an opportunity slip by.
“I have good and fond memories of this wonderful place. Being a fishing enthusiast, I just had to come and try my luck with a friend of mine.
“I’m happy I managed to catch a toman measuring slightly more than a foot in length.
“We are allowed to keep fishes that weigh less than four kg.
“Anything weightier than this has to be released back into the lake.
“I also caught a monitor lizard which was about four foot in length, but I freed it as we’re here for fishing,” said Pvindran, who works as a dog and bird trainer.