SHAH ALAM: MALAYSIA is expected to sign for at least eight MD-530G light attack scout helicopter in late November. The helicopters to be operated jointly by the RMAF and the Army are expected to be deployed in ESSCOM once delivered.
Industry sources told Malaysian Defence, officials were working feverishly to ensure that the signing ceremony could be held in November when Malaysia is scheduled to host the East Asia summit.
However, if the agreement could not be worked out for the signing ceremony this November, the deal could be made official at the DSA 2016 exhibition next April.
Apart from the MD530G, Boeing AH-6i and ex-US Army Kiowa Warriors were also considered to fulfill the Light Scout Attack Helicopter requirement.
It is not known what type of weapons are to be procured for the Little Birds. According to MD Helicopters, the MH-530G could be fitted with a range of weapons systems from the Dillon Aero M134D minigun, the FN Herstal 50 caliber Heavy Machine Gune Pod or the Heavy Machine Rocket Gun Pod, the Talon guided rockets and the Hellfire ATGM. The helicopter could also be fitted with personnel carrying rig.
It is expected that the Little Bird version to be procured is the same as the example displayed at LIMA 2015 earlier this year.
Among others, the MD 530G displayed at LIMA featured the 650 shp Rolls Royce 250-C30 engine, longer main-rotor blades, high-capacity landing gear, the Moog Stores Management System (SMS), Harris Corporation’s RF-7850A-UA tactical radio and the Thales’ Scorpion helmet-mounted cueing system.
It also featured the Mace Aviation Extended Range Weapons Wing(ER2W), FN Herstal Machine Gun Pods and Rocket Machine Pods, Dillon Aero M134D-H Mini-Gun, the L-3 Wescam MX-10, and M260 rocket pod with TALON laser-guided rockets.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (49)
Better armed AW109LUH or get more AW109LUH with weapon include.
Great decision. Good news indeed. If possible , we should also procure tge Archangel plane too. Its cheap n lethal. But we need more than just 8 planes since its powerful patrol platform that can do border patrol in the sensitive thai ma border, the kalimantan sarawak boeder n also anti pirach patrols in malacca n south china sea. We dont need mrca yet . But we do need cheap but powerful systems for our security situation. Such planes can also interdict illegal immigrants from indonesia using the straits.
There are no sensors on this helicopter that would add value to ESSCOM. And as a helicopter it doesn't have the economy of operation of fixed wing aircraft.
Lee Yoke Meng is right that we need cheap assets, but not right that we need any extra firepower.
Please refer to Iraq's use of the Cessna Combat Caravan.
For its day to day operational commitments the RMAF does need additional fighters. With the limited number of fighters it has, maintaining a 24 hour QRA and ensuring it has others available for other tasks, including training, is a huge challenge.
For piracy patrols in the Melaka Straits and the EEZ; there is no substitute for MPAs and UAVs. Light helicopters just don't have the needed endurance.
This Little Birds use for Esscom. Fast but fragile.
"Light helicopters just don't have the needed endurance"
I was going to say the same, until I noted that the AH-6 has a 12 hour endurance, presumably on an empty aircraft.
Still, the point remains that any helicopter at all represents unnecessary cost and complexity for a surveillance mission. Air support and rapid reactive mobility missions can be performed adequately by our existing helicopters in theater.
This is a poor use of funds in general and is happening because army just wants attack helicopters. Perhaps it will not prevent the Tiger from being acquired when the economy improves, which will mean two very different types in inventory.
It is not wise move to add new model to the inventory, why not just armed the AW109 to the teeth. Btw, what do we currently standby for QRA response, MiG29 or SU30? Do they carry both SRAAM and MRAAM?
Reply
Mostly SRAAM but the MRAAM are nearby
If we buy more A-109s; some people will say we should have bought Little Birds; if we bought Little Birds, people will say we should have bought Kiowas and others will say we should have bought. AG-6is : it never ends.
For coastal patrol as well as other roles in ESSCOM; a light helicopter is suitable. The Little Bird is not intended to be a primary surveillance asset and is intended to be used with current assets, as well as other assets that are planned, including UAVs; as such the argument that it doesn't have enough sensors shouldn't arise because it is intended to be used in conjunction with other assets.
If a kumpit was detected by a UAV or by radar a Little Bird can be rushed there used to provide additional identification and should a need arise for the target to be fired upon, the Little Bird is up to the job. May not be the ideal solution but makes more sense than the previous plan to acquire Tigers for use in ESSCOM : the would have been an expensive overkill.
Fird,
I believe QRA is mostly the responsibility of the Fulcrums. With the Fulcrums retiring QRA will probably be shared by the MKMs and Hornets. With only 8 Hornets QRA will be a bit hard for 18 Squadron to sustain though. Some years ago the head of the Czech air force said that practically the whole Gripen fleet was needed to ensure that two and their back ups were always ready 24/7 for QRA.
For those who commented that those little birds are to be used for patrolling, I can assure you that is not the case, and esscom top brass also knows this.
Little birds, uparm the Aw109 or even getting some surplus kiowas would serve the same task in the esscom area of operations. Its main task is to become the QRA intercept team for any speedboats not following the pre determined routes, trying to land at non approved locations or escaping from a kidnapping scene. It will force them to stop by shooting in front of the boat, or in extreme cases shooting the engine in order for the esscom patrol boats to board and search the suspected boat. That would be its primary task.
Surveillance in the esscom area is to be enhanced with MALE UAVs, to supplement the upgraded radars and current scaneagle uavs. Not heard of anything shortlisted but usaf will retire its mq-1 predator in a few years time (in preference to the larger reaper uav) so that will be available surplus, or for low cost brand new ones, maybe the sagem patroller uav? A quick solution for real time surveillance from the air is to buy the airborne technologies S.C.A.R Pod and fit them on our pc-7, pc-7 mk2 or even polis pc-6.
By the way, about the thales scorpion HMCS on the md530. Currently it is one of the 1st colour HMCS available, it is lightweight, and can be shared among pilots (unlike the JHMCS, which has to be tailored specifically to each pilot). I would like to see the thales scorpion retrofitted to the su-30mkm or even the hawk (for your info thales has intergrated its older topowl HMCS to Indian mig-35, so intergating the newer scorpion is doable). It would greatly enhance the situational awareness of the su-30mkm pilot and copilot, unlike the current sura-k, which is a helmet missile cueing system only.