MALAYSIA’S Maritime Enforcement Agency, also known as the Malaysia Coast Guard officially received its first AW189 helicopter from Leonardo in a ceremony attended by the country’s home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and the MMEA’s director-general Admiral (Maritime) Rosli Abdullah. Its arrival is part of the government’s efforts to modernise the aerial assets and operational capabilities of the agency in an increasingly complex maritime security domain.
“These include incursions by foreign fishermen, foreign vessels entering Malaysian waters, arms and drug trafficking, goods smuggling, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, refugees, illegal immigrants and other forms of maritime crime. The government needs to demonstrate strong commitment and support for enforcement agencies such as the MMEA,” the home minister said. “The AW189 will enhance the MMEA’s capabilities in aerial surveillance, enforcement, search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuations (MEDEVAC) and special operations, enabling faster and more effective responses,” he added.
This helicopter is the first of four ordered in a 2024 US$129 million deal with the Italian aerospace giant while the rest are all slated to arrive in Malaysia by the end of this December.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:ADJ)
