BY ADRIAN DAVID - 7
DECEMBER 2016 @ 2:01 PM
GONG KEDAK: The Royal Malaysian Air Force
today unveiled a new multi-million ringgit technical service centre aimed at providing
a comprehensive maintenance for the country's foremost jet fighters, the Sukhoi
Su-30MKM, at the Gong Kedak air base.
RMAF chief Gen Tan Sri Roslan Saad said the
facility would serve as a 'second line for servicing' to complement the
existing services provided by privateer ATSC Sdn Bhd at the base's 11th
Squadron hangar.
He said the new facility was undertaken by
Setiajaya Sdn Bhd from March 24, 2014 and completed yesterday (Dec 6). The
centre will operate through collaboration with the Public Works Department.
"This new facility will be fully
equipped with the necessary logistics, spares and equipment to provide a
comprehensive and effective servicing and maintenance for the Sukhois.
"Before this, we were relying on the
services provided by ATSC," he said after unveiling the new facility at
the Gong Kedak air base.
On another note, Roslan revealed that the air
traffic control radar at the Butterworth base would be upgraded for a year from
January, to meet with the advancement of technology.
This, he said, followed a similar successful
upgrade at the Gong Kedak air base by Jetro Sdn Bhd which equipped it with the
ASR Meteor 087 type.
"We hope these developments will spur
the local defence industries to play a greater role in maintaining the
sovereignty of the country's defence and security," said Roslan.
The agreement for the purchase of the
Su-30MKM jet fighters costing US$900 million (RM3.42 billion) was officially
signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Malaysia in May 2003,
with the first of 18 jets arriving in June 2007.
By Sept 2010, operations at the Gong Kedak
base became an all-Malaysian affair, after the 50-odd Russian and Indian
technical crew, engineering officers and instructor pilots ended their two-year
service tenure.
Their departure posed a strong challenge to
the local airmen and women to stand on their own and operate the Sukhoi
SU-30MKM flanker multi-role combat aircraft.
The RMAF also utilised the services of
300-odd staff from ATSC Sdn to support a similar strength of its own crew to
continue running the base.
While the Indians provided flight
instructors, engineering officers, technical experts and administrative staff
here, the Russians provided their test pilots and engineers to verify, certify
and standardise the Flanker.
The base here is now Malaysia's foremost
jet-fighter facility.
It was established in 1993, with nearby Bukit
Puteri housing an air defence tactical radar for the RMAF's 321st Squadron.
By 2009, the ground-based 402nd air defence
squadron and 11th Sukhoi Squadron were established.
To date, there are more than 1,000 servicemen and civilians stationed at
the base, which is divided into two entities that nestle in an area straddling
Kelantan and Terengganu.
Original post: nst.com.my
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