SHAH ALAM: New Bombs and Capabilities on Flankers. A few years ago I wrote that the RMAF wanted to integrate the DRS Technologies ACMI pod on its Sukhoi Su-30MKM Flanker fleet. This was expected as the pods were already integrated on the Mig-29N Fulcrum fleet as well on the Hornets and Hawks. The integration on the fast jet fleet came soon after Aerotree group was contracted to operate a rangeless ACMI system in 2009. Initially the ACMI system was limited to the Kuantan and Butterworth though it appears now that it had been extended to Labuan airbase as well.
Anyhow on a trip Labuan last week to cover the exercise conducted by No 11 Squadron, I spotted a Flanker fitted with the ACMI pod conducting tail slides, TVC turn and Cobra Spike high above the island. Basically the aircraft was performing the same air display routine performed at LIMA and other airshows. I did not realised that the Flanker – tail number 18 – was carrying the ACMI pod until I return home and downloaded the pictures to the computer (below). I have never seen the Flankers with the ACMI pod so this was very interesting development, to say the least.
11 Squadron commanding officer Lt. Col Faizal Abu Bakar – FAB – met the next day at the airbase, when asked about the Flanker flight display the previous day, said it was him flying the Flanker together with another colleague for a flight test. (see above why I did not ask him about the ACMI pod).
He said the squadron was in Labuan for Exercise Bisa Daya from July 27 to Aug. 9 to conduct live air to air and air to ground firings. The squadron also performed some testings, he said without explaining the tests. It is likely among the tests performed include the integration of the ACMI pod.
As for the six Flankers deployed that I saw parked at Labuan airbase, all of them were clean apart from a single one fitted with the Thales Damocles pod.
Lt Col Faizal did say that the squadron had dropped new bombs during the air to ground phase of the exercise. The new bombs are the Russian general purpose bombs the FAB 500 and OFAB 250. He said the new bombs were recently procured by RMAF together with replenishment of the OFAB 100 bombs, usually dropped by the squadron previously.
The new bombs were likely ordered as part of the LOI signed at LIMA 17 for the supply of missiles and bombs for RM96 million. I have tried to find out the types of bombs and missiles contracted for but I guess at the moment we now know that the bombs are the ones mentioned above.
Rosoboronexport, supply of missiles and ammunition for Sukhoi SU-30MKM (RM96 million)
What is interesting about the bombs is that Rosoboronexport only listed the FAB 500 bomb on its online catalogue product page. Both the OFAB 250 and OFAB 100 are available from other countries like Bulgaria though.
As for the air to air firing, Lt Col Faizal said it involved the R-73 and R-77 missiles, all succesful, he added. As he did not mentioned that this was first firing of the missiles from the Flankers, I am assuming that the squadron had conducted them before.
Anyhow the R-73 was fired against illuminating flares fired from the Hornets of 18th Squadron which also fired Tactical Air Launched Decoy (TALD) for the radar guided, beyond visual range, R-77. The illuminate flares are usually fired to light up ground targets, once launched it deployed a parachute before the flare lit up, slowly drifting to the ground. Launched at altitude its a good, cheap target for IR missiles like the R-73 and the Sidewinders as well.
The jet-powered TALDs usually used to confuse air defenses, emitted a radar signal for the R-77 and the Sparrows (fired from Hornets) to lock on and home on.
–Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (31)
Thanks for the post admin. Nice info.
Great find Marhalim. I think that is the 1st public picture of the MKM flying with ACMI pod.
The issue with malaysian forces, everything is considered secret, while our neighbours things like ACMI integration is freely and proudly talked about.
Hopefully you can also report on the AV8 loading test with the A400M done recently.
In case someone asks why we’re still practising with dumb bombs, despite being in the missile age; it depends. Dumb bombs (as do unguided rockets) still have a role to play depending on the threat level and type of target.
news of exercise and new capabilities like this is very good for RMAF and our armed force...at least nobody dare to say our asset sit idle at base or soldier just eat and sleep only...hope more and more of this will surface
Did we get any S-25 OFM unguided rockets for the MKM? If yes, launching those huge babies would be a spectacle.
As for the TALDs, there was quite a commotion within the malaysian defence enthusiast scene when those pictures of TALD hanging under the the Hornet was published by TUDM twitter handle recently.
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBRmYtEUIAA97BL.jpg
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No idea on the rockets
SU30MKM is a great aircraft and this exercise shows that our airmen and tech is doing a great job in cultivating capabilities and maintaining it away from home bases. This is also a good show of presence and force to domestic and regionally.
Hope the deal to trade MiG29Ns for more SU30MKMs go thru soon. Buying same aircraft that we already know how to maintain and operate is an efficient strategy. Even the US cant get rid of their F15s, developed in 1970s. Probaly better to invest money in new cruise missiles.
..... - “The issue with malaysian forces, everything is considered secret”
Not really. Some things are indeed “secret” and some things are just not reported on. Some things are reported on but not widely and it may not necessarily be the fault of the MAF. At times people may assume that certain things are “secret”, not knowing it was already reported on. At times there are also things that are not reported on; not because they’re “secret” but because those responsible for PR have been ordered to report on something else or may not have received the go ahead (not because of “secrecy” but mundane reasons).
In some ways we’re more open compared to our neighbours, in some ways we’re not. Nowadays service people are doing a much better job answering questions at exhibitions//Open Days. Things really reached ridiculous
proportions in the 1980’s but we’ve past that point.
In the late 1980’s a Scorpion crewman threatened to take my camera if I took a photo of the Cockerill and in the early 2000’s a RSAF F-16 pilot at AA stopped talking mid sentence when he saw my trade pass with “Malaysia” on it - so it depends. There was also the incident at LIMA when RSAF people tried - unsuccessfully - to prevent photos being taken of their Apache.
Been a while since we heard updates about the MKM SLEP. So far how many birds have completed, how many more pending this year, and what's the estimated full completion date?
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Wait for the second installment of the Flanker story
@Hazwan
We should get MH17 issue resolved before buying more Russki hardware.
Answering the 'secrecy' on the new capablities...
As for civvie military enthusiasts take enjoyment over our military achievement...the reason is that Malaysians are made of potty mouths who often jeopardizing the MAFs OPSEC and, national defence policy. In order to curb those arm race and not to pose aggressive posture towards neighbouring forces, thus the military activities were kept under low publicity and limited to 'need-to-know' basis.
Even though the MAF has been undergoing upgrades and getting force multipliers in the past 20 years, the recruitment did not getting the required spike but created armchair generals sitting behind screens crying for new 'toys' while not paying their PTPTN loans. Would these netizen trade off lesser PTPTN loaners for more Flankers? Or cut more subsidies for the betterment of the MAF? Keep asking the country to buy more arms while they just sitting at home, having goodnight's sleep so that only the MAF guys got to do the job?
P/S - I even got to sit in the cockpit of RSAF 50 F-15SG in last SA18. Why? Because 'we' respected our neighbours well. Men in uniforms respect each other, civvie quarrelling in cyberworld making claims.