SHAH ALAM: Four more AW139s for Police. The police is getting four more AW139s, adding to the two already in service, says IGP Puzi Harun today. One of the four will be delivered this May with the other three to be delivered, in batches, before 2020.
Puzi announced the new addition to the force at the inauguration of the Air Wing’s new airbase at the at Subang airport today (Mar.19, 2018). The inauguration of the new base, the peninsula HQ of the air wing was done by the DPM.
The base is the second facility formerly at Sg Besi airbase that had been formally inaugurated. The first one was the Sendayan airbase last week.
Puzi Harun says the new base will allow the air wing to operate on 24 hours basis unlike previously in Sg Besi.
The base located at the north end of the Subang airport is linked to directly the runway allowing for the continous operations day and night. The air wing unit was originally stood up at the Subang airport on Feb. 1, 1979 with four Cessnas 206s before it was moved to Sg Besi airbase in 1998.
Fuzi says the unit was renamed as the Air Wing on Mar. 1, 2012 in line with the increasing number of aircraft in its fleet.
The wing currently has 31 aircraft – 20 fixed wing; five Pilatus Porter PC6, six Cessna Caravan, four Cessna SP172 and five Beechcraft King Airs and 11 rotary – nine Airbus AS355s and two Finmeccanica AW139s.
Malaysian Defence has reported on the procurement of the AW139s in the past.
— Malaysian Defence
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So 4 more Leonardo AW139?
What is the police mission set for these helicopters? I do not see any EO turrets on these, unlike other police helicopters around the world.
As for the sungei besi police base, it was actually just upgraded with multi million ringgit aircraft shelters when it is decided that the sungei besi airbase to be closed.
If Police gets more AW-139…
Then Army Should think about New Transport Helicoptera like NH-90 or Black Hawk.
Six aw139 would be good number to start with to support their counter insurgency or anti terrorist role especially in supporting the vat69 or the utk. It’s about time also for perm to replace their obsolete A150 commando vehicle with the AV4
Prolly better if the army go for aw149, the bigger version of aw139.
It’s cheaper than both the nh90 and blackhawk and could carry the same amount of passenger. Basically it is a successor to UH-1
As flood is common in Malaysia the govt should get the heavy lift heli like the chinook.For the last few years during the worst flood, I was stranded in Kelantan.What I noticed is that all the heli in the security inventory was carrying supplies to the remote areas.In one incident a police heli crashed.This is just like kancil with 4 ton of cargo and plus 4 passengers.Don’t be surprised one day the MD530 will be sending maggi mee also.
Off topic
US Marine Corps has put out a RFI to upgrade 84 Legacy Hornets (plus 14 spare) with AESA radars.
Off topic
Another new NGPC for MMEA launched.
So now there is 4, 2 more to go. And I hope there would be a NGPC batch 2 to follow.
4541 KM Bagan Datuk
4542 KM Sri Aman
4543 KM Kota Belud
4544 KM Tok Bali
A Rahim Omar,
trust me, the kancil you thought it was is actually a well know work horse world wide. These 139s are to carry some very important people. Not those dirty works that you guys are dreaming up there.