SHAH ALAM: Outgoing Army chief General TS Zamrose Mohd Zain officially launched Rejimen 883, the unit operating the six MD530 Light Scout Attack Helicopter (LSAH) for the Army Air Wing or Pasukan Udara Tentera Darat (PUTD) on March 11. The ceremony was held at PUTD headquarters at the Mahkota Camp in Keluang, Johor where a parade was held for the retiring 28th Army Chief.
With the official launch, the unit will drop the Ad Hoc designation used previously. The unit was stood up on February 10, 2022. PUTD now has three regiments, Rejimen 881 (AW109s); Rejimen 882 (Nuri; soon to be Black Hawk) and Rejimen 883.
It was at this ceremony, Zamrose announced the selection of the Black Hawk helicopters for the leasing tender to replace the now-retired Nuri.
Apart from launching 883, Zamrose also officiated the unit simulator centre which operates the MD530G Flight Training Device (FTD). From the pictures posted by the Army, the simulator centre has a single FTD used to train new pilots on the MD530G.
The FTD is unlike the full flight simulator like the EC725 and AW139 operated by two different companies in Subang (Airbus and PWN Excellence). It must be noted that simulator training for RMAF aircraft – Hercules and Black Hawk – is done overseas.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (14)
Marhalim, do you reckon the army will eventually get a proper attack helicopter like the ATAK, or an armed drone like the TB2? Of course the ATAK would be better but Bayraktar might just have to be the poor man’s attack heli for Malaysia.
Based on our budget I do no think so but the outsize influence of the Army, it may well be the case. TBH the Bayrakyar and other loitering munitions may be more survivable in the modern battle field compared to an attack helicopters, light weight or heavy ones.
"Rejimen 882 (Nuri; soon to be Black Hawk)"
Is this regiment still active (with personnel and everything) or been dormant since the retirement of Nuris?
Yup, although not flying as a regiment, the officers and airmen are parcel out as needed. It is likely that some of them are with the units like 881 and 883. It is likely a small number of officers and men remain with the unit. They will now have to reorganise to prepare for the arrival of the Blackhawks. It must be noted that this has been in the works once the leasing tender came out. As posted before, the nucleus unit is operating at Kuantan waiting for the arrival of the new helicopters.
Tom Tom,
UASs are cheaper, expendable and more survivable [in some cases] but one needs lots of them due to attrition [look at loss rates in the Ukraine, Libya and Nargano Katabakh] and their use needs to be fully tied in with other assets. Manned platforms still offer better SA and often better reaction times.
My guess is Getting proper attack helo fresh from the oven probably not. Getting used helo from Oz or USMC probably.
Marhalim, please let us know when you know the Blackhawk model, is it the M model?
Who knows it could even be an A or L model
No need to be so hung up on which model, its a lease after all. As long as the airframe is airworthy and has plenty of life left, and properly maintained by the service provider, it will be safe for use during the lease period. We should care more on which version we can buy later on.
Now the army and navy got more helos than the air force
Yup, but do the RMAF need more helicopters?
zaft - ''My guess is Getting proper attack helo fresh from the oven probably not.''
Incorrect. A brand new rotary platform will be cheaper/less maintenance extensive than a used one or one which has accumulated a number of hours over the years. Rotary platforms - whether new or used - also have larger footprints than unmanned ones; require a more extensive/comprehensive support infrastructure. Do the research.