SHAH ALAM: In the comments section, I mentioned that there is a PC-7 Mk 1 gate guard outside the Subang airbase entrance from Jalan Montfort and the Guthrie Corridor Expressway. It is not a gate guard per se but a monument really as it is located around 500 meters from the airbase gates.
The aircraft on the monument is painted in a green camo complete with a shark mouth on its just below its main propellers. Apart from the green camo, the aircraft had external fuel tanks on its wings and one pilot seat which was the Light Strike Aircraft configuration in the 1980s.
The aircraft green colour also made it almost invisible to see from the road unless one is actually looking for it. The aircraft is put on a metal plinth and configured as if it had just taken off. A tall fence is placed around the monument to protect it from vandals or scavengers. I believed the site of the monument is part of the airbase reserve land.
Mk 1s in the LSA configuration was withdrawn from operational duties by 1993 – the LSA squadron was based at the Kuantan airbase. Following the decision, the surviving Mk 1 fleet became dedicated trainers apart from occasional duties as part of the Taming Sari aerobatic display tema. Some 47 Mk 1s were procured for RMAF in 1983. The aircraft has been superseded by the Mk IIs version.
To be honest, I do not remember much about the Pilatus LSA apart from a crash near Sg Kemaman, in January 1992. The pilot died before being rescued from the aircraft.
Work on the Mk 1 monument started earlier this year and it was completed by early March. It is unclear whether RMAF personnel or contractors were involved in preparing the aircraft, installation and building the monunement as there was no request for bids or quotation notice for the work.
There was a quotation notice for the transfer of a Mk 1 from Kolej Tentera Udara to Subang published in October, last year. Aeronautika Services Sdn Bhd was awarded the LOA of RM136,800 for the contract.
The public specifications of the notice:
PERKHIDMATAN MEMUNGGAH DAN MEMASANG PESAWAT PC-7
1.MEMBUKA BAHAGIAN SAYAP KIRI DAN KANAN PESAWAT 2.
MEMBUKA KOMPONEN LAIN YANG PERLU DIBUKA BAGI
MEMUDAHKAN KERJA-KERJA PEMINDAHAN DIJALANKAN
3.PERKHIDMATAN MEMASANG EXTERNAL TANK,ROKET POD
PESAWAT. 4.MELERAIKAN PESAWAT SERTA KOMPONEN
PESAWAT HENDAKLAH DILAKUKAN OLEH TENAGA KERJA YANG
MAHIR DAN BERKEPAKARAN TINGGI. 5. PERKHIDMATAN
MEMBUNGKUS DENGAN MENGASINGKAN KOMPONEN MENGIKUT
BAHAGIAN PESAWAT YANG DILULUSKAN UNTUK DIBAWA KE PU
SUBANG. 6. PERALATAN PEMBUNGKUSAN TERMASUK BUBBLE
WRAP, STRETCHFILM DAN TAPE BAGI MENGELAKKAN SEBARANG
CALAR ATAU KEROSAKANYANG AKAN BERLAKU.
7.PERKHIDMATAN MENGANGKAT PESAWAT MENGGUNAKAN
PERALATAN KHAS DAN JENTERA /PENGANGKUTAN SEPERTI LORI
KREN 80 TON DAN LOWLOADER 40 KAKI. 8. PERALATAN KERJA
MEMINDAH SEPERTI PALLET JACK,TROLLEY DAN KREN
DIPERLUKAN BAGI MEMBANTU PESAWAT UNTUK BERADA DALAM
KEADAAN SELAMAT DAN STABIL. 9.PENGANGKUTAN PERLU
DISERTAKAN DENGAN INSURANS BARANG (INSURANS MENGIKUT
NILAI SEMASA KAPAL PESAWAT)
10. PEMINDAHAN PESAWAT KE TAPAK MONUMEN DILAKUKAN
DARI KOLEJ TENTERA UDARA KE TEMPAT PENYIMPANAN
SEMENTARA YANG DISEDIAKAN OLEH PIHAK PEMBEKAL DENGAN
KELULUSAN PIHAK TUDM. 11.PEMINDAHAN PESAWAT KE TAPAK
MONUMEN DILAKUKAN DARI KOLEJ TENTERA UDARA KE PU
SUBANG DENGAN JARAK LEBIH KURANG 350KM.
12.PERKHIDMATAN MEMASANG SEMULA KOMPONEN-KOMPONEN
PESAWAT YANG TELAH DILERAIKAN
Based on the specifications, it is likely that the aircraft transferred was also equipped with rocket pods though tail number 12 did not have them. It is likely RMAF felt placing the rocket pods on the monument might looked too aggresive. Hopefully, the rocket pods are preserved and stored for future display at the new RMAF museum at Sendayan airbase and not discarded as scrap metal.
It is interesting to note that two Mk 1s were also transported by road in 2020 from KTU to the Gong Kedak airbase in Terengganu. The LOA of RM33,000 was awarded to TMZZ Trading.
— Malaysian Defence
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The camo scheme on this looks very diffrent from actual pics I’ve seen. After the Light Attack Squadron stood down;some of its platforms were transferred to FT3; still retaining their shark’s mouth motif.
Would be interesting to find out the make of the rockets? Same as the ones on the Skyhawks? What were those? Definitely not Zunis which the USN and USMC used.
I think they were FZs from Belgium.
I thought we only got the FZs about a decade ago to replace the CRC-7s. For that matter what rockets did the Tebuans use?
pilatus pc-7 already got mk11?
Mk II, typo.
No idea, really.
Briefly I used to work around that area on assignment. Yeah that place is quiet even if got people working there frequently coming in & out. Nighttime even more lonely, if no fencing, for sure within a week that plane & even its stand will be in scrap yard.
I just hope TUDM will maintain it, doing regular cleaning and not let it rot in the sun as so many other plane displays.