Airforces

First Singapore A330

MRTT delivered

24 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

NEWS

// OCTOBER 2018 #367

Asia Pacifi c

Poor serviceability plagues

Malaysian Flankers

JUST FOUR of 28 Russian

fighters in the Royal

Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)

fleet are airworthy, the

Malaysian Minister of

Defence Mohamad Sabu

disclosed in a recent

parliamentary session.

The 28 aircraft comprise

ten MiG-29N/NUB

Fulcrums – survivors from

an original fleet of 18 that

entered service in 1995

• and 18 Su-30MKMs
  delivered between 20 07-

9. The former have
   been grounded since
   2016, pending funding
   for an overhaul, while
   only four of the twin-seat
   Flankers are available for
   operations. In a statement

on August 3, which

clarified the Su-30MKM’s

poor serviceability, the

RMAF detailed that 12

examples had reached

their full decade of service

and are grounded until

the mandatory tenth-

year service programme

is completed. Due

to lack of funding, an

overhaul plan suggested

by the manufacturer,

Irkut Corporation, which

required the Flankers to be

shipped to Russia, could

not be pursued. Irkut also

required a substantial

period of time to define

the scope of work to be

performed on the unique

Malaysian MKM variant.

After a Su-30MKM

was used as a testbed

it was ascertained that

substantial savings could

be realised, should the

overhaul take place at

facilities in-country.

The work will be carried

out by local company

Aerospace Technology

Systems Corp, which also

runs the Sukhoi Te chnical

Centre at RMAF Gong

Kedak, responsible for

servicing the aircraft. The

12 Flankers will not be

available for operations

until they are put through

the programme, the

research and development

phase of which is still in

progress. Roy Choo

Above: Ordered in 2003, and delivered between 2007 and 2009, the RMAF’s fl eet of 18 Su-30MKMs are equipped with multinational

avionics content from Russia, France and South Africa. They are assigned to No 11 Skuadron at RMAF Gong Gedak. Roy Choo

Above: RSAF 761 is one of six being acquired to replace the RSAF’s four KC-135R tankers. The fi rst example delivered was

actually the second converted for the RSAF at Getafe, Spain. Airbus

THE REPUBLIC of Singapore

Air Force (RSAF) has

received its first A330-243

Multi-Role Tanker Transport

(MRTT). The aircraft, 761

(MRTT034, EC-332), arrived

at Changi on August 14 after

a direct, 14-hour flight from

Spain and made its first

official public appearance at

the RSAF’s 50th anniversary

flypast on September 1.

The RSAF Transport

Group will receive six

A330 MRT Ts to replace

the four KC -135Rs. The

Singaporean MRTT

differs from the previous

baseline aircraft with a

new standard of flight

computers, structural and

aerodynamics upgrades

as well as improved

onboard military systems.

Since it represents a new

variant, flight testing of

the first RSAF MRTT took

longer than expected.

First JASDF

777-300ER

delivered

JAPAN AIR Self-Defense

Force (JASDF) Boeing 777-

3SBER N509BJ (c/n 62439)

was delivered from Basel-

Mulhouse, Switzerland, to

Chitose Air Base, Japan,

overnight on August 16.

By August 20, when it

was formally handed over,

it was carrying JASDF

serial 80-1111. The

aircraft, the first of two

for the JASDF, had been

delivered from Boeing

Field, Seattle, to Basel

overnight on October 12,

2016, for cabin outfitting.

The 777s will be operated

by the Tikubetu Koku

Yusodai (Special Airlift

Group)/701st Hikotai

(Squadron) at Chitose. The

second is still at Basel being

fitted out, but is scheduled

for delivery in December.

They will be maintained

by All Nippon Airways.

One will be the primary

aircraft, with the other as

back-up. Dave Allport

New Delhi

approves

naval helos

THE INDIAN government

has approved the

purchase of 111 new

maritime utility helicopters

and 24 Sikorsky MH-60R

Seahawk multi-mission

rotorcraft for the Indian

Navy. The navy requires

the new helicopters to

replace ageing HAL

316B Chetak utility and

Westland WS-61 Sea King

Mk42B aircraft, but the

procurement process has

been repeatedly delayed.

The Defence Acquisition

Council (DAC) – the

Ministry of Defence’s

main procurement body

• cleared the acquisition
  proposals on August 25.
  The 24 MH-60Rs will
  be acquired from the
  US through a Foreign
  Military Sale (FMS) at a
  cost of more than $2bn,
  while the 111 naval utility
  helicopters will be worth
  around $3.39bn. The
  latter will be built under
  licence as part of the
  Make in India policy.
  Procurement of the
  Seahawks is expected
  to take three to five
  years, while induction
  of the naval utility
  helicopters is anticipated
  to take between eight
  and ten years.

24-25 AsiaNews AFM Oct2018.indd 24 10/09/2018 14:05:19