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• Is this related to the tender given by RMAF for the drones and patrol aircraft recently?

  Rep
  It has nothing to do with those ones

• @ marhalim

  So the previous 2 units plus 2 options has now been finalised as 3 units paid for by US MSI program? Any specifications yet for the aircraft? It would be a shame to malaysian defence enthusiasts if we get to know the details from Indonesian source rather than from our own government...

  Thank you uncle sam for paying for equipments to bolster our maritime security.

  Anyway what we could do is to scrap the 2 aircraft MPA tender and instead convert 3 more CN-235 plus upgrade all 6 CN-235 with further equipments to make them a potent MPA platform.

• So its 3 CN-235s will be convert to MPA. I thought only 2 will be convert. Thanks Uncle Sam.

  And there also 2 new MPAs will be buy under new tender recently.

• Nah i will keep the 3 remaining cn235 as training platform or back up transporter/vip..should at least buy 2 brand new bigger,better mpa from the get go..

• Woops I mixed up the two.

  The MSI is the same one that provided the Scaneagles to RMN, correct? Do the proposed radars also fall under the same initiative?

  One of the key questions, well in IMHO at least, is whether the MSI is going to be continued in the future, as the US presidential elections are scheduled to take place this Nov. Trump, for all his faults, has the resolve to actually push hard against China and its ambitions. It remains to be seen if Biden (if he wins) will be willing to commit to the same thing, I don't really recall the US going this hard against China during Obama's time.

  Reply
  Yes its the same programme as the Scaneaglea and the radar but different annual budgets. Its the Congress that makes the MSI allocation, so it is likely that funds will continue though the amount of money could be reduced in future years. Its a good deal actually for the US as it helps in getting help to countries in the region while at the same time gives work to US and sometime non US companies as well

• O/T

  Seems like Austria is really enthusiastic of getting rid of Typhoons to....Indonesia

  If the deal does go through, we can expect Indonesia youtube videos to the tune of "Indonesia peroleh Typhoon gempar Malaysia!"

  https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36242/austria-wants-to-offload-its-unwanted-eurofighter-typhoons-on-indonesia

• No free lunch, the converted platforms should be able to linked to parents's system in another side of the globe... ATM has not have its own C4I2 system, suppose during war time, all the rojak systems wouldn't be interoperational and will just make situation kelam kabut...

  Reply
  They could just fit a datalink on the CNs and the data could be down loaded to all of MY data centres via the NCO system

• I dont know much but we can consider buying from leonardo for our mpa (atr 72), lca (m346fa) n male uav (falco xplorer) if no israeli parts or systems involved of course..maybe can get a discount, trade off deal..and iam by no means a leonardo agent or promoter lol

• Bruno - “ during war time, all the rojak systems wouldn’t be interoperational”

  The existing comms set up between the various services and MAF HQ is not rojak. What is rojak is the various platforms/planes we operate thanks to the politicians.

  What we really need to do is to improve on “jointness”. The MPA has to able to “share” info not only with RMN assets but also with the MMEA. As the UASs service we’ll be able to coordinate their use with the MPAs to ensure their is no overlap.

  ASM - “One of the key questions, well in IMHO at least, is whether the MSI is going to be continued in the future, as the US presidential elections

  Irrespective of whoever wins and how the China policy is maintained; the U.S. will continue to place great importance in the region and will continue to provide various forms of assistance in various forms to various regional players.

  Firdaus - “at least buy 2 brand new bigger,better mpa from the get go.”

  If a CN has sufficient range, endurance and internal space for our needs why would we want a “bigger” platform? Also, if the conversion entails a radar, FLIR, mission planning suite, ESM and other stuff; what is your definition of “better”?

  It’s not as if we want a MPA to patrol as far as the Western Pacific or to take part in a multi domain high intensity conflict. Wherever we buy must suit our requirements; must be something we can afford to operate/maintain and something not superfluous to our needs.

• ASM - “Seems like Austria is really enthusiastic of getting rid of Typhoons to….Indonesia”

  Yes and the TNI-AU will be the operator of F-16s, Su-30/27s, Typhoons and other things.

  It would seem that standardisation and reducing the support/logistical footprint (what almost everyone else is trying to achieve) is not a priority.