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• Well now. Didn't I say that some of our "hardworking officials" got their "well deserved" taxpayer-paid holiday to Italy? Again I was proven correct.

  I heard that autumn & winter months in Arizona is particularly nice to visit as well.

• Good to see something going in the right direction for the armed force.
  Curious to know why our military helicopter does not have a chaff flare dispenser installed on them? Cost factor or because it was never in their requirement list?

  • Its usually the cost factor as it will usually be in the requirements but will be listed as fitted for not equipped. The A400Ms are also not equipped with them

• Looks like a waste of money to me....a trip to Italy just for a photo opportunity. Really?

  • Yes and no. This things are always in written into the contracts, documentations need to be signed for the vendor to paid and this must done at the location of where the equipment is manufactured. Otherwise those signing them can be charged with CBT. Most other countries do it but they tend to shy away from publicising them.

• Sure enough RMN going to get their AW139 first before the MD530G

  @joe
  "Again I was proven correct"

  That was to be expected even for many of the purchases we did before if not the Chief of the Navy or other high ranking officials, other government officials (military and civilians) would go. Nothing new, nothing to be surprised nor nothing to be proven correct. Just a normal routine 'in the office'.

• "cost factor or because it was never in their requirement list"

  It wasn't specified because of costs factors, plus the general threat environment in which we factor that there is little chance of them actually being under threat. The idea being if that something were to break out there would be time during the period before hostilties to equip them.

• The F-5s and Skyhawks were also never fitted with them.

  If one goes for the whole works it can add as much as 15-2O percent of the contract value. A MAWS to alert the pilot he has been fired upon, from which direction and what is the nature of the threat. Chaff and flares to deal with the threat and a EW suite to jam the seekers of radar guided missiles. Aa it stands most aircraft are not equiped to deal with the threat posed by beam riders.

  On top of that is the costs associated with maintaning and storing the equipment.

• "Well now. Didn’t I say that some of our “hardworking officials” got their “well deserved” taxpayer-paid holiday to Italy? Again I was proven correct." we paid millions and yet you expect officials dont go and inspect and sign hand over documents ?

• Mofaz - "we paid millions and yet you expect officials dont go and inspect and sign hand over documents ?"

  In his worldview officials only go on such trips for the leisure aspects with work being a facade. Then again, he's "right again" as he points out or thinks ...

  Note however that at times stuff is oficially handed over to the Ambassador or another reprenstative who is already there.

• @Luqman @mofaz
  Well there are some that thought our officials will be magnanimous and not take the opportunity,
  "A high ranking member of the MAF doesn’t necessarily have to travel to the U S. for the handover. The handover can be conducted with the Amvassador or even the DA, with the actual ceremony done here"
  "The handover will probably be to the DA or an embassy official with the official inducting ceremony here – common practice."

  @Marhalim
  In reply to you; "The handover will probably be to the DA or an embassy official with the official inducting ceremony here – common practice." If these can be done by officials already there...

• Simplistically put it, kinda ironic to invest in multi-million ringgit hardware only to ignore the one thing which is needed to keep them flying. Ya, our threat environment in the region does not call for it. Just look at the ASEAN EC725 operators, I have only seen photo of the Thailand helo with the chaff dispenser mounted. On the A400M, was once pointed to me the locations of these chaff flare outlets on the aircraft but I never ask if the dispensers were installed. At my level of relationship with them, the most I'll get would be a PR level answer.

  • The DAS suite on the A400Ms are fitted of course but not the chaff and flare dispenser as well as any DIRCM turrets...AFAIK none of the Thai helos are fitted with the chaff and flare dispensers as well. AFAIK in the region, only Singapore fitted their helos - combat ones - with a comprehensive DAS suite though they also sometimes don't fly them with the chaff and flares as well.