SHAH ALAM: The Armed Forces conducted the first live firings of the Starstreak VSHORAD system at the Tanjung Logok ground to air firing range near Kota Tinggi on Monday. The firing involved personnel from the three services of the Armed Forces.
The Starstreak missiles were from a consignment of the VSHORAD system delivered just three days before the firing took place. It was because of this the gunners did not conduct any test firings ahead of the event although they did trained to track the target – a Banshee drone – several days prior to the exercise. The 26 shooters involved were trained in two batches at Thales facility in the UK, in October, 2015 and February, this year .
Three missiles were fired on Monday at the Banshee drone with all declared as technical hits. They cancelled the fourth firing as they had ran out of time allocated. The range is located on the busy air-route to Singapore and the Senai airports.
According to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, the consignment – the current Starstreak VSHORAD system – were made available as per the contract for the missiles signed last year.
Under the deal, the Armed Forces will be getting the Thales Integrated Advanced Air Defence system, ForceShield. In addition to the Starstreak missiles, the system comprises ControlMaster 200 radar and weapon coordination systems, RapidRanger and RapidRover mobile weapon systems and the Next Generation (NG) Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML), as well as associated communications.
As part of the deal also, Thales also took back the retired Starburst missile inventory with the Armed Forces and replaced them with the launchers and missiles which were used during the firing exercise on Monday.
Hishammuddin did not say how many launchers and missiles were delivered but it is likely that it was not a 1-to-1 replacement for the retired Starburst system.
The minister said the first Starstreak NG system will be delivered in 2018 with the first consignments going to the RMAF and RMN air defence units.
The Starstreak missiles in country are now mostly under the inventory of the RMAF Skuadron 401. The unit will be working with Global Komited to integrate the mobile launcher variant – RapidRover on the Weststar GK-M1 Weapon Platform.
It is likely the Army’s Grup Artileri Pertahanan Udara (GAPU) will be the last to receive the Starstreak missiles, but for that inconvenient, they will get the RapidRanger – the fully stabilised launcher – version of the system.
Contrary to what I reported previously, the Malaysian RapidRanger version will be fitted on the Weststar GK-MK1 Weapon Platform and not on the Vamtac Uro, which is supplied by another company.
After the missile exercise, Hishammuddin flew on a AW109 of the PUTD to witness another live firing demonstration. I cannot say anything more about that! You can make your own deduction of what had happened from the screenshot below.
Unfortunately as my camera froze up at the firing range, I was unable to take any videos of the firing exercise. However you can opt to watch the video of the firings uploaded to the Kementerian Pertahanan Youtube channel.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (18)
Nice
Seems that our short range air defence is pretty well covered (with AAAs, jernas, starstreak and boatloads of Manpads), while our long range air defence is under RMAF.
I hope the army could get VL-MICA for medium-range air defence, since it will be used in LCS programme as well. While it doesn't sound like much (considering other options like Buk or Chines HQ-16), but it still greatly boost our air defence as well as part (and missile) commonality with RMN
Do the Malaysian Army need a medium or even long range SAM? If we look at the Australian Army and the British Army, they are well content with only having SHORAD, while anything above that is the domain of the respective airforces.
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I was told that GAPU has been tasked to come up with the requirements for MR-SAM but it's unlikely to be funded under RMK11
kamal - ''If we look at the Australian Army and the British Army, they are well content with only having SHORAD, ''
Because if both are deployed for real; both will be operating under a strong air umbrella or in conditions where air superiority has been achieved. Both countries also only have MANPADS/V-SHORADS. The question of whether GAPU needs something with more legs is debatable. On paper it should be the RMAF.
Dundun - ''Seems that our short range air defence is pretty well covered (with AAAs, jernas, starstreak and boatloads of Manpads), ''
We need more alerting devices and gap fillers. The Starstreaks will come with alerting devices but the rest of GAPU only has 2 TRS-3Ds, 2 Giraffes and 2 [or 1?] VERAs. At a lower level there is a need for additional alerting devices. Also, given that Igla and Anza were ordered more than 10 years ago; they question is how long more can the operated before their circuitry and warheads wear out.
Well the one thing that I believe is that the mr-sam will definitely be the same as the missile chosen for LCS. The control master 200 is a radar for fire control with more than 100 km engagements range. Though the numbers is not known.
So GAPU is providing air defence for army installations only?
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Not really as the Anza and Igla are supposed to be with the forward troops. As RMN and RMAF got their own AD units, they take care of their own.
The British Army will be acquiring CAMM with a 25-45km range, so "short" range is a relative term.
Shorads and vshorads work best when you have further- and higher-reaching SAMs to force enemy aircraft down to their altitude envelopes. As we don't have these, the effectiveness of our manpads is questionable.
Cost permitting, we should replace or complement them in roles that do not require such high mobility.
If i may ask, why are we going with starstreak instead of other systems and 2ndly why not going directly with mrads since the protection range is longer and higher. Tq
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There are various reasons for the procurement, many of which I will probably be not aware off, and therefore cannot explained. Anyhow, the Starstreak deal got the personal attention of the British PM (as it helped Belfast labour issues) and I guess that is one of the reasons we did buy it. Moreover its easier to get the funds to replace something instead of buying a completely new system like the MR-SAM which costs a lot more to buy and operate.
All this while i tend to believe that the army should only operate shorad to counter threat from UAVs and Armed Helis.For fighter jets,either supersonic or subsonic,this should be best handled by TUDM well assuming TUDM have the adequate number of jets in the first place
AM - ''As we don’t have these, the effectiveness of our manpads is questionable. ''
Had this debate with someone here previously.
Granted, improved technology and stand off munitions enable aircraft to hit targets at higher altitudes now but there will still be instances when aircraft [due weather, type of target, ROEs, etc] will have to come in low; below 10,000 feet.
"the personal attention of the British PM and I guess that is one of the reasons we did buy it. Its easier to get the funds to replace something instead of buying a completely new system like the MR-SAM and costs a lot more to buy and operate."
More important to ensure we have C2 networks to provide warning and avoid shooting down our own aircraft.
Otherwise, we will be spending valuable time and wasting missile range if the crews have to visually identify an incoming aircraft, very much reduced. There would be no point acquiring a longer ranged system until this problem is solved.
Could you comment please on the statement by menhan that there was no encroachment by China at beting patinggi ali and the earlier statement by apmm and its minister on the presence of 100 fishing boats and a few coast guard ships from china. Is the statement from apmm wrong or are we still appeasing china on the issue. Tq
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The combination of both statements