SHAH ALAM: RMAF has deployed a single EC725 helicopter -M55-07 – to the Philippines for a HADR operation in respond to Typhoon Kristine. The helicopter from No 5 Skuadron left Labuan airbase at 7am today (October 26).
15 RMAF personnel will be deployed for the mission. The helicopter will be based at the Villamor airbase in Manila, the capital of the Philippines though it is likely to be deployed to other airbase as well. The airbase shares the same runways as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
RMAF stated that this deployment demonstrated the Malaysian Government’s commitment to humanitarian assistance, providing crucial air logistics support to help deliver disaster relief supplies to affected communities in the Philippines.
The helicopter departed Labuan Air Base at 7am on Saturday, bound for Villamor Air Base in Manila, and the flight is expected to take approximately five and a half hours, with a scheduled refueling stop at Antonio Bautista Air Base.
The mission is led by Major Thaddeus Raphael ak Azis @ Sait RMAF, accompanied by a team of 15 personnel members, including two pilots, one co-pilot, two engineering officers, two air quartermasters, five aircraft technicians, and four members of the RMAF Special Forces
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I believe this will be the first time that the EC725 has been deployed overseas for a HADR mission. Tail number 07 is likely one of the helicopters from the skuadron which had undergone the upgrade for the enhanced gear box as part of its routine heavy maintenance check. The other one is tail number 05.
— Malaysian Defence
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Quite a distance to fly; past Mindanao and the Visayas to reach Luzon. The longest ever flight undertaken by RMAF rotary assets was when Nuris flew to Java for an exercise.
Apart from this example and when Nuris deployed to Sumatra post Tsunami; have RMAF rotary assets ever deployed abroad for HADR?
why
Asean spirit.
I cannot remember any other operation actually.
Good will.
We have a long history of assisting HADR efforts in Indonesia and the Philippines. We’ve even deployed medical teams to Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1997 the ex USN LSTs brought firefighters to Sumatra.
i mean why send the EC725 specifically? Why don’t just send Bomba AW189 or even Mi-17?
Its the nearest rotary asset and also capable doing the heavy lifting.
Why not a Cougar? We have a long history of sending RMAF assets; rather than BOMBA ones. BOMBAs Mil-17s are also only able to do VFRs; an issue in case of bad weather whilst in transit.
i think RMAF should get more of this chopper…
That was the plan until it got snookered by the lease deal.
Far,
Take the hint. The Chief of RMAF stated that the AW149 could probably be operated cheaper compared to other designs. Yes, on paper we should get follow on Cougars but alas the reality is different.