KD Tun Razak somewhere in the Atlantic. DCNS photo.
KUALA LUMPUR: Its the new year and we are counting the days for the end of the Pak Lah administration. I know many will still believe that Najib wont be PM come next March but thats an issue for another forum.

If everything goes to plan, Najib is set to appoint a new politician to the Jalan Padang Tembak hot seat. Its not a fun job heading Mindef in these lean times. How would you reward loyalty? During this time not much, but Malaysian Defence remembered a politician who was appointed to the hot seat during similar times also faced the same predicament. He did luck out in the end although we were the ones that had to share the burden.

Anyways, the names being bandied about at the moment include Hishammuddin, Muhyiddin and Shafie Afdal. Hishammuddin being the cousin certainly has the edge over the other candidates and that is what being whispered around during cigar parties and golfing holidays.

Being Najib’s close ally in the up-coming Umno elections may well tip the favour to Muhyiddin but if the former Menteri Besar is appointed to Jalan Padang Tembak, what will that say about Hishammuddin? The cousin has largely carried the blame for UMNO’s poor showing during the 2008 General Elections and if he does not make the cut to defence this time, his career is politically over.

Shafie Afdal is the dark horse in the equation. Muhyiddin for example can still be appointed as the Home MInister if the new PM decides he need to have Sabah behind him. Shafie has been the deputy Defence Minister before so he knows his way around (no pun intended).

Malaysian Defence feels that Hishammuddin will get the nod this time around, if it just for the sake of blood is thicker than water. Nonetheless, who over is appointed wont have an easy time. Money is short while ambitions are big. We need a clear revolution of military affairs (something which Najib had said in various occasions but failed to deliver) especially how the politicians managed the issues especially the funds.

With the Malaysian Armed Forces 10-year-long Force Generation Plan is in ruins due to the budget cuts, the new minister will have to tread carefully during this time as to not embarrass the PM. On the first day of his job, Pak Lah embarrassed Najib by deferring the Cougar procurement, setting the tongues wagging.

–Malaysian Defence

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KUALA LUMPUR: Brazil on Tuesday (Dec 23) signed a defence pact with France which analyst estimates to be around 6 to 8 billion Euros which include the purchase and local manufacture of the EC-725 Cougar and four SSKs, most probably a more advance Scorpene.

The cost of the Cougars was not released but Reuters cited analysts as saying the contract is worth at least 1.9 billion Euros, which I translated into RM182 million for each helicopter. If this is correct, the amount is about RM30 million more expensive than the price quoted for our Nuri Replacement Programme although our numbers are far more smaller than the Brazilian buy.

Will it be the same price for us if we delayed the procurement of the Cougar within the next two years? It may be the case. The Brazilian Cougars will be manufactured by Eurocopter in the South American country with its local helo builder, Helibras, which may account for the higher unit price.

It seems that the Cougar had turned the corner following our initial intention to purchase the medium-lift helicopter. Although Brazil was reported late last month to be ready to procure the Mi-17s from Russia, the latest events seemed to vindicate MINDEF decision to procure the Cougar for the NRP although the tender process could have been done in a more judicious way so as not to attract controversies.

From Eurocopter website.
“Following the EU-Brazil summit, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil officially announced the contract for 50 EC725 helicopters which has been signed by the Brazilian government and a consortium formed by Eurocopter and Helibras. The helicopters will be operated by Brazil’s armed forces and the first deliveries are scheduled for 2010. This is the largest contract ever signed in South America and will provide Brazil with a fleet that is capable of performing an extremely wide range of missions. The contract will also allow Eurocopter to continue its expansion in South America.

–Malaysian Defence

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KUALA LUMPUR: After years of resisting the move towards the more cost-effective ab-initio and basic flight training on single engine civilian airplanes, TUDM finally has called an open tender for such a programme this week.

The tender “Perolehan Perkhidmatan Bagi Mengadakan Latihan Penerbangan AB-INITIO Untuk Kegunaan TUDM” ends on Jan 15.

After retiring the Bulldogs in 1997 , TUDM had conducted its Ab-Initio and Basic Flight training on the PC-7 trainers and then for a short period on the SME MD-3 trainer, a National Interest project, in 1999. After the failed MD-3 was unceremoniously dumped several years later (the aircraft have been stored at Simpang since 200..?) the air force resumed conducting ab-initio and basic flight training on the PC-7.

Although suitable for the task, using PC-7s for ab-initio and basic flight training is really an expensive affair but the air force continue to do so apparently lacking the funds either to purchase single engine basic trainers or lease them from the private sector.

The air force also refused to sent its trainees to private flight school claiming that private institutions had failed to instill “military ethos” for its cadets. Apparently the air force had a small number of cadets trained by the private sector during the period the Bulldogs were retired and found that the trainees lacked the same esprit de corps as their contemporaries. So the air force resumed its flight training on the PC-7s before moving to the MD-3 and back to the Pilatus aircraft after SME built aircraft were retired early.

Most military conduct ab-initio and basic flight training on single engine trainers like the Cessna 182 and the Grob to screen flyers as the operating costs are cheap. Since the early 90s most air forces have conducted such training under Private Finance Initiative under a Pay-By-The Hour basis. Some countries even purchased the training aircraft preferring to contract out maintenance and through-life-support with the private sector. In both instances, the flight instructors were from the military although civilians (mostly retired military personnel) are also involved in the programme. This type of arrangement has also been extended to LIFT programme such as the Singapore Wings and NATO LIFT programmes.

TUDM has resisted similar deal for ab-initio and basic flight, for years now. Malaysian Defence remembered a conversation with a former TUDM chief who steadfastly insisted that the air force knew the best way to train its flyers during an encounter during one of the LIMA series. ]

Fast-forward to the next LIMA, the retired general was now a shareholder of a private aviation school offering flight training to both civilians and the military. Characteristically, his company was involved in lobbying the government to get the air force to farm out its ab-initio and basic flight training to the private sector, the same thing he had steadfastly disavowed merely two years earlier!

As the company remained one of the bigger flight training school in the country, Malaysian Defence expects that it would be in the running for the tender, it may well be the only way the company can survive the current economic crisis. Perhaps the retired general had changed his mind or not!…Oh well.

Anyways if you are involved in the flight training business and duly registered with the Finance Ministry under the “Kod Bidang : 220502 atau 190101 atau 190102, please go ahead and tender for the job. It maybe the best solution to get some cold cash from the government during this hard times….

–Malaysian Defence.

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