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The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) are expected to take delivery of final consignment of six Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighter aircrafts from Russia by year end.Chief of Air Force Jen Datuk Seri Azizan Ariffin said the final consignment of six Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighters will complete Malaysia's purchase of the 18 sophisticated aircraft and further bolster RMAF's inventory in defending Malaysia's air space.He added that the consignment was also in tandem with RMAF's development plans to remain relevant and competitive and increase the country's defence capability with state-of-the-art air defence."We have already received 12 such aircrafts and the remaining six are expected to arrive by year end. The 12 aircrafts already in our inventory are used in training from time to time," said Azizan at a special interview at the Ministry of Defence here Friday, in conjunction with RMAF's 51st Anniversary celebrations on June 1.All the aircrafts will be equipped with state-of-the-art radar systems for superior combat agility and maneuverability in the air.Malaysia and the Russian government agency, Rosoboronexport, signed a US$900 million (RM3.4 billion) contract for 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKM (Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy Malaysia or Modernised Commercial Malaysia) aircraft.In return for the purchase, Russia agreed to train and send a Malaysian astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) and also buy palm oil from Malaysia.Azizan said RMAF would also take delivery of four Airbus A400M aircrafts, two in 2013 and another two in 2014.He added that RMAF also has plans to add to its current inventory but it would depend on the budget and government's capability.Meanwhile, Azizan added that the RMAF base in Sungai Besi should be retained as a national heritage and not be demolished or commercialized since the base had served as an rescue operation centre for air traffic, especially RMAF, police and Fire services department.
5 comments:
Hi, have just started seeing your site recently and now look at it regularly.
On the Su 30 issue......are you aware of the actual number of Su-30MKI's operational with the IAF........have read number of varied figures....ranging from 80 to 115. I know 5 Sqdns are there (8, 20, 24, 30 and 31); plus, how many more to be inducted in 2009 ??? HAL produces @ 12-14 per year; and Russia still has to deliver a number from the new order of 40 a/c.
After HAL closed the Jaguar production line sometime back (after delivering the last batch of 20 IS and 17 IT), the only new fighter aircraft that the IAF has been getting and will get in the next 3 -4 years will be the Su 30's. And, during this period, it will lose a large number of aircraft because of retirement {most of the Mig21's(nearly 150 to retire), except the Bisons; a few of the older Mig 27's( nearly 40)} and attrition/accidents.
I wonder what the IAF ORBAT will look like in 2011 !!!
Su-30MKI production was ramped up from 14 to 18 last year and will be 20 this year onwards. Another 40 contracted Su30 are being imported. Su30 prodcation will end in 2014.
Also MMRCA contract will be signed by end 2010 with indeginous production commencing 3 years after that( will replace Su 30 production in 2014). However 18 MMRCA jets will be delivered in fly away condition before that as also 20 LCAs.
Adding these figures we get IAF inducting an average of 36 combat jets per year for the next five years.
This in addition to 8 Hawk AJT produced each year that also have close air support role in controlled skys.
If you also consider the 3 Mig29 squadrons to be inducted by Indian Navy in this period, India's fighter induction plan is going well.
I think that if you want to see how effective IAF will be as compared to past, one has to see what its opponents are doing
Pakistan will introduce Saab-2000 AEW&C and KJ-200/ZDK03 AEW&C and may be P-3AEW&C. IAF will for the first time be facing (officially declared BVR )PAF aircraft with BVR missiles and their numbers will grow rapidly in next few years and gap will be far more close then India would ideally like to have. Before this PAF relied on limited capability of 30 odd Mirage-III ROSE-1 which used Denel Aerospace’s R-Dater BVRAAM produced domestically by Pakistan under a project codenamed H-2 with range of 60 Km and R-Dater is a derivative of the Derby BVRAAM developed by Israel’s RAFAEL.
Anonymous @ May 31, 2009 10:17 PM have done a good job in explainng what is going on Indian front
The only way to compare opponents in this day is to see how their economy is doing.
Considering that PAF will be investing in $15-20 million JF-17 while IAF will be investing in $80-100 million MMRCA, a one to one comparison of assets does not reflect the true balance of power.
Nevertheless PAF's grand plans for 250 JF-17 and other gear were drawn in 2005 when Pakistan's economy had touched 7% growth rate and the Generals were bubbling with confidence. Then came the earthquack... the Taliban... the drones... and the great economic depression.
Pakistan's Government has now admitted that they would miss this years economic growth target of 2.5% while India has beaten all predictions and clocked 6.7% this year. India has consistently maintained 2% higher growth rate to Pakistan for over a decade and over 4% for the last 2-3 years. Unless Pakistan is able to get its economy on track they cannot match the pace of India's military modernization, more so since the Indian economy has grown way past the point where Pakistan could expect others to "aid them to parity" with India.
To compare China with India one can almost replace PAF with IAF and IAF with PLAAF in the above argument. But there is one crucial difference. Indian military has always maintained a technological edge over the Chinese(at least after Nehru realized soldiers cannot be put to farming as he had envisioned), with the help of the Soviets in the past and now they are the Americans who realize that in order to keep balance of power in favor of the democratic world, they must back up India with all of their technological might. Hence they are offering everything from BM defense to Aegis etc.
Something good has come out of India suffering democracy and the politicians who come with it.
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