SHAH ALAM: AT DSA 2016, Airod Sdn Bhd signed an MOU with BAE Systems for the upgrade of RMAF Hawk aircraft. One expects that the next chapter in the saga will be the contract signing. Unfortunately, as usual we seek to complicate things.
The Hawk up-grade, I have been told, will be up for a restricted, open tender. In other words, the More, the Merrier policy. Basically a couple of companies will be invited to bid for the Hawk upgrade and one might even win the contract. And Airod may not be in the mix at all.
While this may seem to be a good idea to some — and what ever you might feel about Airod — its the only local company which had performed the maintenance on the Hawk since its introduction in 1995.
While upgrading is different from maintenance, the work done will be beneficial to the engineers and technicians doing the maintenance even though its less glamorous. For more on the up-grade of the Hawk go here.
Personally, I believed Malaysia is too small to have several companies performing the same work for the same client. And its not like our industry is striving to make a larger pool of skilled engineers and technicians. Every body keeps pinching the same people from their rivals and the services.
Just look at our southern neighbor. They have more aircraft in its military but they do not have multiple companies doing MRO work. The company and personnel are widely regarded as the best in the industry.
Over here, its the opposite. Every body wants a finger in the pie. To make matter worse, all of these companies are partly-government owned either directly or in-directly.
It’s also telling that one of the companies bidding for the job (not Airod) seemed to think that it have a direct line for the contract.
Whether or not this will help it get the Hawk upgrade contract is beyond me but the company have snagged several contracts already, though not in MRO or upgrade work.
With the Hercules upgrade remaining in the sidelines, one has to wonder the logic of another open tender for an upgrade program.
If we really want to continue “The More, The Merrier Policy” at least be firm about it and make sure it is completed ASAP instead of muddling about it.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (5)
Bull's eye......
The Defence industry policy is sucks. Local defence industry is going nowhere. The neighbours already ahead and they keep moving forward day by day.
Your latest post about turkey tank deal is just another example after tons of examples how defence industry policy is just make someone wealthier. The etika will end up just as a middleman and try to push gov to buy the MBT to make profit. The news about being a partner in making a new mbt is a crap. What capability etika has in making mbt?
Notwithstanding the sorry state of our defense industry, what will be the update program consists of? Would it entails provision of new radar for the hawk 200?
Reply
No radar replacement just new cockpit displays and mission computer that comes with new displays
In April you reported that the RMAF planned upgrades for the Hawk's "cockpit displays, HUDs and the RWR"
No mention of the RWR this time, is it being skipped?
Btw do our Hawks already have GPS navigation? After all, we ordered them in 1990 and it was common at the time (and even now among older fighter types) for aircraft not to have it.
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The other things still stand I just forgotten. I am not sure about the GPS navigation but I am pretty sure that new mission computer will have that.
Adding a GPS that is not integral to the aircraft's navigation suite is not an issue : the Fulcrums were delivered with a GPS and the only analogue instrument on the RAF's 100 Squadron's Hawk T.1s is a GPS. It's a pity that the Hawks won't receive an AESA but to be fair, no AESA has yet to be integrated to the Hawk.
Let me guess: Budget problem?
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Yes and No