SHAH ALAM: New airbase at Bintulu. RMAF will be operating a new airbase – barebone one – at Bintulu, Sarawak, just off the waters of the South China Sea within the next five years or so. Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said in a social media post today that the ‘bare bone’ airbase at Bintulu is one of the development projects approved for RMK12.
The Western Air Defense Sector hosts twelve members of the Royal Malaysian Air Force as part of a subject matter exchange entailing hands-on training at a radar site at Camp Rilea, Oregon, Aug. 27, 2021. The 116th Air Control Squadron, Oregon Air National Guard, provided a week long course on the TPS-75 mobile, tactical radar system which is capable of providing radar azimuth, rang, height, and identification of friend or foe information for a 240-nautical-mile area. (Courtesy photo)
His posting:
Antara fokus pembentangan #RMK12 oleh YAB PM @IsmailSabri60 di Parlimen – #RMK12 merangkumi langkah menambah baik kesiapsiagaan, kawalan sempadan dan penguatkuasaan, mempertingkat ketenteraman awam, mengukuhkan keselamatan dan pertahanan siber serta menjaga kebajikan anggota.
– pembinaan Bare Base Tentera Udara Bintulu, Sarawak, pembinaan Hospital Angkatan Tentera Terendak, Melaka dan peningkatan keupayaan aset maritim. Selain itu, kem tentera baharu di Felda Sahabat, Kem 5 Briged di Kota Belud akan siap dibina.
– Dasar Industri Pertahanan dan Keselamatan Negara akan diperkenal – menetapkan hala tuju industri tempatan berkaitan pertahanan & keselamatan. Kebajikan anggota tentera terbela, 10.2K unit RKAT dan kuarters sedang dibina, boleh diduduki dlm tempoh
Not much details yet but it is likely the new airbase will be located adjacent to the Bintulu airport like in Kuantan and Labuan. It is likely to be equipped with basic facilities before being upgraded in the future including hosting one or two squadrons of aircraft.
Korean Aerospace Industries TA-50. KAI. Used for illustrative purpose only
It is also likely that the base will also be the control station for the new long range air surveillance radar Preparing For The New Radar as reported previously. The radar it self could be placed nearby or even 150km away with the data feed to its control station via satellite or fibre optic links. It is unclear however whether the radar will be the one procured by Malaysia or the one to be gifted by the US. It must be noted that the barebone air base is the only new development project announced today, the others were made public before and likely holdovers from the previous Malaysian plan. One project that has gone quiet, is of course the Bintulu naval base project. So one may well think that the airbase project may well suffer the same fate.
That said if the long-range air surveillance radar control station is co-located at the barebone airbase this may well ensure its completion under RMK12. Hopefully more funds will be available in RMK13 to make it a full fledged facility complete with at least two squadrons of fighter jets and associated aircraft.
A Nuri, CN235 and Hornet, among the aircraft that took part in Eks Paradise 2015.
Apart from the Armed Forces, the PM also announced two projects for the police for RMK12 – a radar system for five Marine police sectors and a GOF camp in Beluran, Sabah.
It must be noted that Bernama reports that the government had allocated RM400 billion for development expenditure for all sectors during RMK12 (2021-2025) period. I guess we have to wait for the 2022 budget later on for further information on what’s in store for the national security sector.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (41)
"one procured by Malaysia or the one to be gifted by the US"
Has that been finalised & approved already? AFAIK, only the US gifted one is confirmed.
About RMK12, RM400Bil or USD$96Bil for 5 years or USD$19Bil per year.
2021 figures is USD$3.8Bil, meaning an incremental of 5X for next 5 years.
Or easier to digest; 5% of GDP.
I would like to see how they managed that without cutting social aids & nets to the rakyat in view of Covid.
They can't just dedicate a whole base for a single surveillance radar, a single radar post would suffice. If they want to have airstrips then they gotta get more aircraft squadrons. The inventory correctly is depleting with no replacement certain yet. This project would likely be completed mid or end rmk13 if we're looking at the government's track record. If its at the tip of sabah bordering South China Sea then medium/long range air defences would be good as well be we dont have those either. I really hope the government knows what they're doing but honestly, they don't. We are doomed
@joe,
RM400bil for DE under RMK12 is for all sectors, not just for security. Below are the excerpts from Bernama:
“Rancangan Malaysia Ke-12 (RMK-12) merupakan pelan pembangunan menyeluruh yang akan memperkenalkan beberapa pembaharuan, bagi memastikan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang mampan dengan pengagihan peluang dan hasil yang lebih saksama.
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata, kerajaan akan memperuntukkan RM400 bilion bagi tujuan membiayai projek sambungan dan projek baharu di bawah RMKe-12.”
Apart from the new camps for 5 Briged, 5 Division will also setup 22 RAD and 35 RAD supposedly by next year, according to the Panglima Div himself. Does it means that a new batch of 155mm guns and new batch of vshorad systems will be purchased in future to equip those units?
Pidot,
We need medium range SAMs but as part of a the national AD network, why to cover the SCS per see? Is China on the verge of taking our possessions there by force? Is conflict imminent? If we deploy SAMs can we create deconflict zones to ensure our aircraft can operate?
If indeed we are "doomed" then there's hardly a point in doing anything is there? Instead of generalising and making sweeping statements why don't you provide a context to the point you're trying to make?
The purpose of the base is very clearly not for the sole radar but in order to be conduct and sustain ops in the area.
Pidot - want to have airstrips then they gotta get more aircraft squadrons.'
Both are needed actually. An adequate number of airframes and a ground support infrastructure. No point having more airframes if a lack of bases precludes us from effectively deploying them in certain area effectively.
The fact that a base has been planned for Bintulu is an indication that it's needed so aircraft in the vicinity can better operate in thr area without having to return to Labuan or elsewhere. Bintulu may also be intended to be utilised as a secondary or alternative base with nothing permanently based there, as was the case with Gong Kedak for several decades.
Mike,.
There is a requirement for a wheeled SPH.
From my years growing up in Bintulu, I believe there's already a radar near the MLNG plant area. Belongs to the Army if I'm not mistaken.
But it's a good thing they decide to have some semi airbase in Bintulu, as the AB in Kuching is quite a distance away (800 km++), so if intercepts are required off the shores Miri and Bintulu it would be faster from Bintulu (or Labuan, although I think Labuan is more to cover Sabah)
Maybe base a flight of 4-5 LCAs in Bintulu?
Bintulu bare base?
That would surely be just an apron and a few sun sheds built at the current Bintulu civilian airport, similar to that build in Lahad Datu FOB.
The bare base would be an ideal location for MALE UAV operations. MPA could still be based in Kuching, as is future LCA operations from Labuan.
The US grant radar will be in sarawak, as the people of 330 Skuadron that went for the training. The groundworks for the new radar has already started, and it will be around the bintulu area, so that is separate news from the bare base in Bintulu.
The new radar would be controlled from MADGE SOC III Kuching. No need for a dedicated C3 center in Bintulu
AFAIK MAF have a land plot near Bintulu Airport marked for an Army camp, till now the said place is secondary jungle. Not sure if MOD returned the plot back to Sarawak.
22 RAD and 35 RAD in Sabah next year?
That is news to me.
What I do know is that 8 RAD has been raised in Camp Penrissen Lama Kuching, Sarawak on 8th September 2021
22 RAD to get some G5 from 21 RAD? Surely SPHs if bought would be more suitable to support 4th Mechanised Brigade in Semenanjung.
35 RAD to get MANPADs for intrim?
Nowadays Labuan is intended more for a certain part of the South China Sea, not for Sabah per see.
I doubt if the army has radars in the area. What you described could be a DCA ATC radar. How far is the plant from the airport?