IN June, the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) received its latest boost in capabilities with the formal receipt of three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and general purpose machine guns. The RMAF inducted three Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TUSAS) Anka-S medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs and received five 7.62x51mm FN MAG 58M GPMGs from renowned Belgian firearms manufacturer FN Herstal to be installed on the force’s Airbus H225M helicopters.
On June 16, the RMAF officially kicked off operations with the No.11 Squadron in Labuan Air Base with the formal induction of the three UAVs into service in a ceremony attended by the defence minister Khaled Nordin, RMAF chief Gen Muhammad Norazlan, Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Zulhelmy Ithnain, Joint Forces Commander (JFC) Lieutenant General Tengku Muhammad Fauzi and defence ministry secretary-general Lokman Hakim Ali.
“The operation of the Anka-S represents a strategic leap from the perspective of our defence and maritime surveillance capabilities”, Khaled said at the ceremony. “In short, with the Anka-S, the RMAF can maintain the country’s eyes and ears and conduct continuous operations from positions that may be difficult to detect and under various weather conditions. It can identify a vessel accurately, allowing us to determine the appropriate action. In the past, when we did not have this capability, we sometimes had to deploy aircraft or large vessels, which obviously involved higher operational costs”, the minister continued.
Acquired in 2023 from Turkiye for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, the UAV will boost the country’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) by providing persistent patrolling of territory and contested maritime zones around the South China Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for lower hourly operating costs in comparison to fighter aircraft, manned aircraft or naval vessels. The Anka-S is capable of operating at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet for more than 24 hours. An RMAF statement previously stated that the Anka-S would strengthen the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities of the RMAF in carrying out strategic monitoring of East Malaysia and South China Sea. Earlier in April, the Ankas successfully conducted its maiden flight which lasted three hours.
The defence minister also said that though the Anka-S was capable of carrying weapons, Malaysia had chosen not to equip the aircraft with armaments as the country’s defence posture was focused on protecting sovereignty rather than being on the offensive. With an initial batch of three, Malaysia is considering to procure subsequent batches of the Ankas to expand the fleet, with another batch of three on its radar. “We do have a proposal to purchase another three Anka units under Phase Two, it is already included in the current Malaysia Plan. At the moment, we operate two aircraft on rotation. If we have another three units, it means we may be able to cover the entire country,” Khaled added.
Later on June 20, the RMAF officially took delivery of five FN MAG 58M GPMGs to be installed on the force’s H225M helicopters in an effort to reinforce their combat search and rescue (CSAR) capabilities. The Malaysian government procured the GPMGS from FN Herstal which were officially handed over by Airbus Helicopters’ managing director Axel de Pascal at Kuantan Air Base during an Open Day to mark the service’s 68th anniversary. According to the RMAF, final acceptance tests of the GPMGs were done from the end of March to early June by the No.10 Squadron from Kuantan Air Base and No.5 Squadron based in Labuan prior to the handover.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:RMAF, ADJ)
