SHAH ALAM: The Defence Ministry has issued a tender for the relocation and development of RMAF museum at the Sendayan airbase. The tender was published on March 12 and closes April 15. A site visit at the airbase is scheduled on March 20.
Not much other details are available for the project in the public specifications of the tender though.
The indicative cost for the project is RM40 million which could mean that the new museum may well turn out to be something spectacular if it is done right. The old museum was just a hangar repurpose as one though most of the aircraft are left outside out in the elements.
Hopefully, once completed the new museum could be accessed directly by visitors without the need to enter the airbase, just like the RTAF museum at Don Mueang, Bangkok. Otherwise, all the effort will have gone to waste. The old museum could be accessed directly as well but as the junction is located just beside the main gate to Sg Besi airbase most of the time visitors will be stopped by sentries on duty.
Yes, there are other air forces museum in the region but I only had the visited the RTAF one so that is that. The RMAF museum was originally based at the Sg Besi/Simpang airbase but as the whole area had been marked for re-development it was moved to the Sendayan airbase which was built as replacement for the old one. The museum moved to Sendayan in 2021 and only in September that year that the museum administration announced on its Facebook page that it moved to the new airbase.
Unfortunately, the last Facebook posting of the FB page was on September 22 2023, which detailed the transfer of some aircraft from the holding site at the former Sg Besi site to Sendayan.
It must be noted that the museum is not yet open to the public. It is likely that the museum will only be reopened once the new building is completed in 36-month time. So, I am guessing that it will only be opened to the public, if everything goes to plan on June 1, 2028. Just in time for the 70th anniversary of RMAF.
It is interesting to note that RMAF has not make any plans public for a new and better museum unlike the RMN. A few years ago, RMN announced the plan for a new maritime museum in Lumut complete with drawings and graphics of the facility. I am guessing that the LCS debacle has a lot to do in sinking or least delaying the ambition. One wonders also whether they have any funds to build the museum in the future even if the LCS is completed.
Once completed, the RMAF museum in Sendayang will be the second Armed Forces historical site in Negri Sembilan after the Army one in Port Dickson. It is unlikely that a third one – RMN – will be built there as the service has no facility in Negri Sembilan. A RMN museum albeit run by the Malacca government is located in Bandar Hilir though as with the submarine museum located near Klebang.
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It would be a better spectacle if TUDM have a historical flying flight/squadron like the RAAF or RAF.
https://www.airforce.gov.au/community/event-participation/air-force-heritage-aircraft-fleet
Then the history of the air force could travel to the people, to sabah/sarawak for example. Something simple, and with minimal cost, that could be covered by offsets from current CAPEX projects (that is how we got our havards, tiger moths etc, from the BAE Hawk offset)
something simple like
1x Tebuan
1x MB339AM
1x TA-4PTM Skyhawk
1x Piston Provost
1x Chipmunk
1x Bulldog
with each aircraft flying hours capped at around 80 hours annually.
Those aircraft could also be used as flying currency flight for ground-based leadership to keep their pilot license active, without wasting the life of operational fighter jets.
An issue with the RMN museum is that it’s managed by the state government. The RMN from time to time gives its input on how certain things should be preserved but whether the input is followed is another matter.
Something good for everyone, from aspiring kids to foreign tourists (especially western tourist who never saw Mig-29 up close) to military/historical nuts to just regular people in general
Hopefully they can inlcude ex RMAF staff as curators and tour guides to explain these stuff
TLDM museum melaka
Almost half of the display space is dedicated to just listing the current TLDM orbat.
Those who are paid to be around in the museum have no interest in TLDM history.
Not much historical displays, stories about TLDM in the yesteryears.
Not a living museum, nothing new added or a temporary themed display to excite visitors.
So many things that can be shown to the public
– how we bought back the combattantes from france
– vosper patrols during emergency
– pioneer batches of submariners
– LST operations in The 70s
– history of WASP operations (called the “cakcibor” or dragonfly in perakian dialect)
– ops FAJAR
– malay seamen on board Royal Navy warships
and so much more…
Yes, if the RMAF Museum plan ahead they could already start interviewing retired pilots, technicians and others who were involved so they can planned the presentations ie videos things like that when the new museum is open.
… – “It would be a better spectacle if TUDM have a historical flying flight/squadron like the RAAF or RAF”
Unless the cash comes from a private entity or the state government; zero chance. This isn’t the UK or Australia. As for offsets if any; priority of the decision makers will be to benefit other, current areas; not something with little payoff.
“RM40 million which.. turn out to be something spectacular”
You know as well as me, half that will be songlaped. Then whatever left will be pared down to a non-airconditioned shed, with a roof that might collapse later on. We have a history of such “spectacular” after all. Nothing will change.
IMO good airforce museums near to us that we could benchmark
1) Royal Thai Air Force Museum
2) Sri Lanka Air Force Museum
As for the cost to stand up a historic flying unit, i believe we can do so within the same budget as allocated for the transfer & development of the TUDM museum. We could also trade our retired aircraft such as the nuri, PC-7 mk1, MB-339CM for flyable historical aircraft.
Currently there is quite a few original ex TUDM and similar to former TUDM historical aircraft in flyable condition that is for sale internationally.
… – “As for the cost to stand up a historic flying unit, i believe we can do so within”
Many things can theoretically be done. Ultimately do you really believe this will?
Learn from the tentera darat museum in Port Dickson. Very well maintained & good environment
” Many things can theoretically be done. Ultimately do you really believe this will? ”
No i don’t, and this is not critical in any way for our defence readiness.
But just putting it out here that it can actually be done.
With the same outlay of a static museum, it could better reach the masses, doing hearts and minds with the general population, instilling pride towards the armed forces and probably get a few kids out there to dream being in the air force when they grow up. With a secondary benefit of doing flying currency for desk staff + maintain skills of TUDM test pilots flying irregular aircrafts.
” Learn from the tentera darat museum in Port Dickson. Very well maintained & good environment ”
Very well maintained?
Most of the equipment displayed, the helicopters, skyhawk, armoured vehicles are haphazardly prepared for display and is totally not in the original condition or even the original historically correct paint scheme. Items saved in a museum should be of historical importance, not just random items laying around.
For example if you want to preserve a Condor, find the exact chassis that has been deployed to Somalia for example, better if it was employed in the blackhawk down fiasco; and clearly explained in the signage around the vehicle.
Go to a proper military museum overseas, and you will understand how poor our military museums are in relation to those overseas.
What we can do is to actually ask for help from those overseas museums, on what is the best practices for preserving historical artifacts, and what can we do to make our museums a living display of our military heritage, and not just a collection of old scrap metal.
We cant even properly maintain our operational military why should we spend precious money to maintain history? Just so that our shameful shambolic poor upkeeping will be reflected in these museums sooner than later?
I look at SG Skyhawks and they deserve a place in a museum due to their long age stalwart service. Our Skyhawks that was just briefly in use and mired in scandal? It should be scrapped all of them, the only reason for preserving into museum is to show the world our shameful past of mismanaging our defence.
… – “What we can do is to actually ask for help from those overseas museums”
No. We don’t need any external help. There is local talent; the issue is funding and priorities. If Museum Negara for example can preserve stuff thousands of years old; we don’t need external help on how to preserve relatively new stuff from rust/corrosion caused by the elements.
BTW I’m a collector of certain old things; thus I know the affects of moisture/humidity and how oxidisation creates platina verdigris which actually isn’t a bad thing.
… – “No i don’t, and this is not critical in any way for our defence readiness”
If course you don’t but like I say’ what can done on paper might not be done in reality. Given the current situation you seriously believe there is the cash and intent to have a “historical flying flight/squadron like the RAAF or RAF”? And of course it’s not “critical for defence readiness” which is precisely why we won’t do it. We can’t even get a competent company to keep a retired ship afloat and the RMN lacked the budget; yet we can and will have the intent to have a “historical flight”? Only if Father Christmas pays for it.
… – “Go to a proper military museum overseas, and you will understand how poor our military museums are in relation to those overseas”
Because funding is easier to obtain – from various private sources. It also makes things easier that some countries have a much longer military tradition and greater public interest and awareness. Quite a number of museums in the UK are privately owned and funded.
Just some example of what is available out there
1952 DEHAVILLAND DHC-1 https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?s-type=aircraft&listing_id=2436271
The DHC-1 Chipmunk is one of the first trainer aircraft in TUDM service
1960 DOUGLAS A-4C SKYHAWK https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?s-type=aircraft&listing_id=2395283
This particular aircraft is one of ex TUDM Skyhawk airframes left behind in Arizona. Sold to private ownership and rebuild to flying status.
Cost to buy both aircraft does not exceed RM2.8 million ringgit.
RM2.8 million is probably less than untraceable cash stashed under the sofa’s of malaysian politician’s and military middlemen’s
… – “Cost to buy both aircraft does not exceed RM2.8 million ringgit”
Great if Father Christmas pays for it because the harsh reality is we have far more pressing issues; that the government won’t pay for it and neither will any private entity. If we do get offsets as part of any future order BTW; they will be used for stuff we seem more practical or beneficial.