SHAH ALAM: One of the four Airbus A400M Atlas airlifter has returned from Seville, Spain after undergoing an upgrade for its capabilities. Although the Airbus release did not identify the aircraft, from the picture it provided, it is the third Atlas – M54-03. Malaysian Defence did a story on its delivery and arrival in 2016.
The Airbus release:
Seville, 24 February 2022 – The first Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) A400M upgraded with tactical capabilities has returned to Malaysia. The upgrades were implemented by Airbus in Seville, enabling the aircraft to perform new missions such as aerial delivery, full paratrooper deployment or low level flight.
In operation with the RMAF since 2015, the A400M has already changed the customer’s airlift operative, playing a key role in all mission types, including cargo and personnel transport, humanitarian and disaster relief missions, transport of heavy equipment, support to the national strategy in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, medical transport, as well as air-to-air refuelling operations. The RMAF became the programme’s first export customer and is the first A400M operator in the Asia-Pacific region.
With more than 10,000 flight hours achieved by its fleet, the RMAF is also the A400M fleet leader, having the aircraft with more flight hours and flight cycles accumulated among the A400M customers. As fleet leader, the RMAF fleet provides a valuable reference for all existing A400M customers and Airbus.
The release also noted that the RMAF A400M fleet has the highest flight hours compared to the other operators, much like its Airbus EC725 fleet.
As mentioned in the release, tail number 03 is now cleared for tactical missions from aerial delivery, full paratrooper deployment and low level flight. It is likely that the other three A400M will also be upgraded with the same capabilities though it is unclear whether it will be done here or in Seville.
— Malaysian Defence
View Comments (40)
we need at least 2 more of those atlasses
All hell is breaking loose with Russia ACTUALLY invading Ukraine, not just annexing yet another part.
Yeah additional grizzly would be nice..but the priority now are LCA,UAS,MPA,MRCA,Nuri replacement in that order..UAS before MPA cuz that CN235 being converted to MSA
This is the future that we will be living in, and a world we are going to leave to future generations.
If nation state like Russia no longer honour any international laws, it can be a precedent to other countries to do the same too, and the world will become a place where weak countries can be attacked for no apparent reasons. Like what happened more than 100 years ago.
We cannot assume that nobody will attack us and let our military, our coast guard to be weak.
We cannot assume allies will fight alongside us or even fight for us while we sit on the sides.
We have to defend our country ourselves, on our own.
Politicians must stop thinking only about themselves, but to think how to leave a secure homeland for our future generations.
@Firdaus
My TUDM priority list is; Nuri replacement, LIFT, LCA, UAS, MPA, AWACS/AEW, MRCA (5th/6th gen).
Looks like the current PTU is going to retire without anything being bought under his tenure.
TUDM priority for me:
RMK12 (now)
1) LCA/FLIT - minumum 36, ideal at least 48
2) Air defence radars
3) MALE UAV for both land and maritime surveillance. Please just buy the cheap TB2.
4) convert all 6 CN-235 into MSA/MPA
5) Hornet add on
RMK13 (5 years from now)
1) AWACS
2) EC725 add on
3) A400M add on
4) MALE UAV add on
RMK14 (10 years from now)
1) New MRCA - ideal F-35A, if not KF-21 block 2
Non priority
- MERAD air defence missiles. This should be kept under the army like currently.
gonggok - If nation state like Russia no longer honour any international laws
Russia is a permanent Security Council member and a nuclear power, it can get away with things others can't.
gonggok - We have to defend our country ourselves
I'm sure everyone appreciates the nationalistic chest thumping and the obvious but even if we depend on ourselves only, in the long run we're still reliant on external diplomatic and material support. Very few countries in this day and age can go it alone if confronted by a much larger or more powerful opponent. We have a population of 30 million, a medium size economy dependent on external trade and no significant tech heavy industrial base and a medium sized under resourced military.
No before you go on, I'm not suggesting we totally depend on others or sit back and let others trample on us.
gonggok - We cannot assume
Our defence planners don't ''asumme'' anything, which is why in parallel with our desire for some level of deterrence [in line with our resources] we have bilateral defence ties with a number of countries, engage in various exchanges/consultations at a regional and international level and are a FPDA member.
gonggok - Politicians must stop thinking only about themselves
In theory but must as well wish for Pegasus to fly over Tawau.. The very definition of politics is to gain power and keep it. That's the core nature of politics. The type of politicians we have is a reflection of the state of the country.
gongok - secure homeland for our future generations
Someone else use to keep saying the same thing. Uncanny similarity/coincidence.
@Gonggok
The takeaway from this latest development.
1. Superpowers can & will take aggressive actions that suited their own objectives. Perhaps unsurprising but we have to remember that USA invaded & 'tried liberating' more nations since the Cold War ended than Eastern Bloc did.
2. Western Powers have failed Ukraine despite all the talks, promises, & assurances. Months of talking during the buildup instead of shoring up defences with NATO troops if they truly intend to defend Ukraine. In our neck of woods, we have less of such 'verbal backing' from the West so don't expect USA to even come running & taking on China if they decide to be decisive. As I always asserted, we're on our own.
3. Don't hope for conventional forces to stop a superpower might. At best, countries like Ukraine and us could prolong into an attritional war thru guerilla, and hit & run tactics while the legitimate Govt will have to rule-in-exile and getting international support akin to Free French Republic.
4. We need to strengthen or economy firstly. Way before this, after Crimea annexation Russia all the years had been putting economic & resource pressure onto Ukraine economy despite being propped up by the West. Russia took action because it still haven't yet collapsed despite being on deathbed and Putin could not wait to happen.
5. What happened in Ukraine are due to East-West powerplay and each had influenced its socio-political & economic arena. We should be wary on such influences onto ours masked as social liberties & democracies, or economic growth & friendship. Our society should not just blindly follow, instead to be independent, nonpartisan and chart our neutral path forward.
"Western Powers have failed Ukraine despite all the talks, promises, & assurances. Months of talking during the buildup instead of shoring up defences with NATO troops if they truly intend to defend Ukraine. "
NATO has never promised to fight Russia on Ukraine's behalf and this has always been made clear to Ukraine. But NATO has been training and equipping Ukrainian forces for years on account of Russian involvement in the Donbass and occupation of Crimea.
Any engagement of Russian units by NATO is certain to prompt Russian retaliation and carries the risk of escalation into general war.
Given the resources available to Russia to respond to any NATO involvement, if NATO is expected to fight Russia directly, it will have to commit very large forces. The scale of losses on both sides will carry a very dangerous risk of escalation.
"Don’t hope for conventional forces to stop a superpower might. At best, countries like Ukraine and us could prolong into an attritional war thru guerilla, and hit & run tactics while the legitimate Govt will have to rule-in-exile and getting international support akin to Free French Republic"
In World War Two, the Germans faced very high demands on other fronts and could only commit an economy of resources to suppress the French resistance. If you're talking about a superpower that is occupying another country's homeland and not while being engaged in war with other major states, the process and outcome will be very different. At best, this hypothetical occupied country will face a much longer wait than the French resistance faced in WW2, all while the country is under effective control of the occupier by way of controlling the strategic areas.
"What happened in Ukraine are due to East-West powerplay and each had influenced its socio-political & economic arena. We should be wary on such influences onto ours masked as social liberties & democracies, or economic growth & friendship."
No country is threatened or provoked by whatever system we choose to practice, whether democratic or not. Taiwan is in a different situation because China has to justify the communist party's authoritarianism to its people as the only possible system for China, and cannot tolerate Taiwan because it is a counterexample in being an ethnically Chinese society that practices democracy and manages to prosper.
azlan, "Uncanny similarity/coincidence"
I have been in Singapore for many years, and their leaders always have the future generations in their minds, especially in terms of defence. Even for the latest developments for land reclaimations, the current Singaporean leaders left a large space in strategic locations for future Singaporean to do what they want with the space.
I have not seen any such aspirations from current malaysian leaders.
Joe,
1. I don't see Germany, Japan, South Korea, etc. complaining about USA. Most of ex soviet countries themselves want to be in the western fold. Just look at Poland, Romania, Czech, Estonia, Latvia etc.
2. USA has failed Ukraine. They disposed off all their nuclear weapons as US say they will guarantee Ukraine's security. Now seems that they are left high and dry.
3. That is a given. A small country like malaysia could never fight on the same playing field as superpowers. But we need to prepare to fight in other ways. Lessons from Finland, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Yemen need to be taken in context of our own defence.
4. As a defender, economically does not matter much. You just need not to lose. Saving your own country, your own family is a strong enough motivation to continue to fight. As the aggressor, yes need a strong economy to sustain the war.
5. What happened to Ukraine is unfortunate. Malaysia, to be a non-aligned country, need to have a military with a strong defensive capability to back its swagger. Like a porcupine, we need to ensure that anyone attacking malaysia will need to incur very high costs for their actions.