THE Ministry of Defense has issued a tender for the upgrade of six units of C-130 Hercules aircraft belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
The tender was announced in several local newspapers and on the ministry’s website on August 20. However, it was not posted on the E-perolehan website.
The tender is related to upgrading the avionics of the transport aircraft. Interested bidders can participate in a visit scheduled for August 29, and the tender will close on October 10. The bidding documents cost RM1,500 and will be returned to unsuccessful bidders.
The RMAF’s C-130 upgrade program has been ongoing for the past two decades. Considering that the aircraft, known as Hercules, will be in use until 2040, upgrading the avionics section is necessary.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the aircraft. The YC-130A prototype made its maiden flight on August 23, 1954.
The RMAF has ten C-130 Hercules aircraft, including several C-130H-30 variants and four aerial refueling variants, KC-130H. All the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft are stationed in Squadron 20 at Subang Air Base and Squadron 14 at Labuan Air Base.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has become one of the reasons for the delay in the acquisition of UH-60A Blackhawk helicopters, according to Deputy Defense Minister Adly Zahari.
He stated that this matter was communicated by Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd, the company responsible for the helicopter leasing services acquisition contract.
“The approval process by the United States regulatory authorities has also been tightened for the modernization of technical specifications and avionics system integration on the UH-60A Blackhawk aircraft,” he said.
The work program timeline and the expected delivery of the aircraft to Malaysia have been reviewed and updated by the Slovak Training Academy and all involved parties based on the current supply chain conditions and the expected approval timeline by the US regulatory authorities.”
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) regarding the reasons for Aerotree Defence and Services’ failure to supply UH-60A helicopters to the Malaysian Army within the stipulated time and the ministry’s subsequent actions during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.
Adly stated that the company was supposed to deliver two helicopters on October 30, 2023, and another two on December 30, 2023. He emphasized that the Ministry of Defense viewed this delay seriously as it had an impact on the operation of the Army Air Forces helicopter units as outlined in the contract.
“Furthermore, if there is any delay in the delivery of these helicopters, the government, through this contract, will impose fines for the delays caused by the company. However, if the company still fails to make the deliveries according to the set dates, the ministry can also cancel this acquisition and re-tender as required by the contract,” he added.
The Opening Ceremony of Exercise Pitch Black 2024 (PBK24) recently took place officially at the Darwin Convention Centre, Australia.
But what is Exercise Pitch Black 2024? Pitch Black is the largest exercise in the southern hemisphere organized by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and is held every two years.
This year’s edition is scheduled from July 12 to August 2, and it is said to be the largest ever held. It is joined by 20 countries from around the world with more than 140 fighter aircraft and 4,400 military personnel.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) also deployed a contingent this year consisting of three F/A-18D Hornets and an Airbus A400M. This is not the first time the RMAF has participated in Exercise Pitch Black.
First held in 1981, Pitch Black brings together various air forces from around the world for a series of exercises involving complex scenarios with fighter aircraft and support such as tanker aircraft, as well as control and early warning (AEW&C) aircraft.
Most aircraft will operate from RAAF Base Darwin, but there will also be aircraft operating from Tindal and Amberley bases.
The air forces returning to Darwin for Pitch Black 2024 are from France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
There are also air force units participating for the first time, such as from the Philippines, Spain, Italy, and Papua New Guinea. Some personnel from Fiji and Brunei will also join, as well as from Canada and New Zealand.
This exercise is not only anticipated by participants from the military but also eagerly awaited by aerospace and military enthusiasts in the Darwin area and beyond.
This is because they have the opportunity to see advanced fighter aircraft from various countries, which are not always present at Darwin base, such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon, FA-50, Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen, and Sukhoi Su-30.
The exercise involves various activities and situations that will test the skills of pilots and crews to work together with each other and with colleagues from other countries.
In addition, for the local community, the sidelines of Pitch Black involve an open day at Darwin Air Base and an air show at Mindil Beach.
For additional information, the RMAF contingent began their journey several days ago. They departed from Butterworth last week, made a stop in Kuching and Bali before continuing their journey to Darwin.
Some air forces also made Malaysia a stopover, such as the Italian air and naval forces, which stopped in Subang a few days before continuing their journey.
Among the aircraft taking part in the event are:
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) – Boeing EA-18G Growler, F/A-18F Super Hornet, E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C, Lockheed Martin F-35A, C-130J Hercules, Airbus A330/KC-30A MRTT French Air and Space Force (FASF) – Dassault Rafale, Airbus A330 MRTT, A400M, CN235 German Air Force – Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus A330 MRTT, A400M Indian Air Force (IAF) – Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker Indonesian Air Force – Lockheed Martin F-16A/B/C/D Italian Air Force – Lockheed Martin F-35A, F-35B, C-130J Hercules, Eurofighter Typhoon, G550 AEW&C, Boeing KC-767 Italian Navy – Lockheed Martin F-35B, AV-8B Harrier II Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) – Mitsubishi F-2A/B, Boeing E-767 airborne early warning and control (AWACS) Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) – PAC-750 Philippine Air Force (PAF) – Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50PH Fighting Eagle Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) – Boeing F/A-18D Hornet, Airbus A400M Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) – Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) – Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, Boeing F-15SG, G550 CAEW&C, Airbus A330 MRTT Royal Air Force (RAF) – Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus A330/Voyager MRTT Spanish Air and Space Force (SASF) – Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus A400M Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) – Saab JAS-39C/D Gripen United States Air Force (USAF) – Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor United States Marine Corps (USMC) – Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey
An audit review has found that the procurement and acquisition performance of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (TLDM) vessels under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK-11) and RMK-12 is lower than the set targets.
The Auditor General’s Report 2/2024 states that TLDM only received four ships out of the planned 18, which amounts to only 22.2 percent of the target.
“TLDM was supposed to acquire 10 Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) under RMK-11 and RMK-12, but only four LMS ships were completed in procurement and received by December 31, 2022,” the report said.
“TLDM was also supposed to receive two Multi-Role Support Ships (MRSS) under RMK-12, but the procurement will only be carried out under RMK-13 due to funding constraints.”
Furthermore, this situation has led to TLDM still using ships that exceed their operational lifespan.
In addition, the delay in the readiness of five Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) has affected the failure to achieve the ship ownership targets. These ships were supposed to be prepared and received between 2019 and 2022, but as of December 2022, the ships had not been received.
As a result, based on the decision of the Cabinet Meeting on April 20, 2022, the government has decided to reduce the procurement of LCS ships by only one unit.
According to the Auditor General’s Report released yesterday, the 18 ships that TLDM was supposed to receive consisted of 10 LMS, 6 LCS, and two MRSS.
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