KUALA LUMPUR: It appears that the Eurofighter Typhoon is simply out of our reach, based on the story below. One could also surmised the same for the Dassault Rafale also.
Both are heavily involved in the UN-mandated Libya No Fly Zone. Read Here
I know I had probably said a hundred of times already that we cant afford a new MRCA squadron or more at the moment, not unless our defence budget goes north (with the necessary reforms of course) but the latest official numbers simply confirmed it.
As I had said before for the price of the Typhoon (now listed by the UK PAC at RM548 million per plane) we will do much better, if we really went the the MRCA route to purchase the F-35 (which cost around RM400 million anyway).
Yes, the Super Bug is officially listed at USD57 million at the US Navy website but thats for the bare chassis alone, not with Government Furnished Equipment, such as engines, pylons and black boxes. It will probably cost at least RM300 million per per plane with all the stuff, minus the ordnance.
The Gripen NG, reportedly is the cheapest but then again with the low numbers flying we probably end up paying a ton in the long run.
Excerpts from the UK Parliament PAC report. The report is wonderful example how a national security issue can be made public without any fuss for breaching state secrets!
“It would seem that the third phase of this contract, for the last 16 aircraft, was driven by contractual obligations or by operational need. Overall, it is costing the Department £20.2 billion, £3.5 billion more than it first expected, to buy a third fewer aircraft. This is equivalent to the purchase cost of each aircraft rising by 75%, from £72 million to £126 million.
–Malaysian Defence
If you like this post, buy me an espresso. Paypal Payment
View Comments (51)
The SH la the choice, plus i doubt they will buy more than 18. USd2 billion for 18 SH (flyaway with arm with no spare) and another USd1 billion for 3-4 E2C.
or worse additional 18 SU30 MKM at around USd1 billion
Every thing is expensive if we dont buy now,we will regret later,these items are not meant to be purchase as n when,and delivered when it is needed,jadi mahal pun kta kena sedia payong sebelum hujan...Singaland is waiting for any lapse in security aja in MelayuLand...
Reply
Yes I know we cannot simply buy defence equipment when we needed it but that also does not give the excuse simply to rush out and buy things just like a kid in the candy store..
Or nothing. 5% equipment.
We could get some utility choppers instead and get some UAVs. I propose the Heron II with Made in Jordan stickers.
kesilapan besar org kta ni,they want to do things all in one go they call it wholistic.try to learn from singaland even kta punya defence expenditure is besar,they plan n buy war aset in stages,in the 80,s singapore tak de credible navy or airforce,they rely on US navy n airforce...
I don't get it why everyone in malaysia is so excited about the mrca.... agreed with Kamal, buy additional MKMs is the best solution if they are really desperate to do so.... anyway I don't support buying additional mrca at the moment. It's no use. Better buy UAV/Maritime Patrol Aircraft or more choppers for our air force. Those are more important then the mrca.
Reply
They make good displays at air shows....That's why you have Top Gun and the Last Starfighter. Even the Millennium Falcon need to mix it up with Tie fighter to make an impact.
Red Dot,
Well this is malaysia. We only build pedestrian bridges after someone being ran over, we only put more cops on the street after someone fell victims to snatch thieves.
Notice the word "after"? This is the mentality of our government and her citizens. You dont have to look far, even some generals in this forum would scorn at the idea that we should add some steels in the armoury. And that is why we found ourselves in the mess that we are today. Penny wise but pound foolish.
Syameer, out of curiosity why do you suggest additional MKM's, it is solely because it is cheaper than a Super Hornet or for commonality? The RMAF's main choice then, in 2002 as it is now, is the Super Hornet. And there are valid reasons for this.
The mess we are in today has everything to do with 'national interest' and the process of bestowing favour in a distributed manner. So we end up with a little of this, a little of that and a lot of headaches to try and sustain and maintain it all. The 'one bite' reality means that there are rarely any repeat buys and that everyone wants to make a fortune on each deal.
Mark ups are never 10 or even 20%.
The more we spend on toys, the happier the Sings are since it concentrates that much more resource into a laughably small force. Given our inability (maybe in Melayuland they are good at it) to sustain even simple systems like a rifle, throwing money away on this stuff just makes the chaps in Bukit Merah smile.
Eternally driven by insecurity in pee pee size.
Penny wise? You must be talking of Melayuland. In Malaysia, we are just penny foolish and pound foolish, that is when we are not giving money away for 'national interest'.
Fortunately, in Malaysia, we realize that a Singaporean invasion would only mean more business and perhaps a slight improvement in the Corruption Index without the need for defenestration.
Symmetry may work for Melayuland where the defense budget is many times what Malaysia can afford and where the level of leakage is low. Malaysia is much better served by considering the innate benefits that we possess, namely manpower and space. Singapore has neither the means nor the desire to occupy even half of Johor militarily. It can achieve the same in a de facto manner by investing in it.
Thus symmetry vis a vis Singapore serves no purpose, other than perhaps a little puerile shiok sendiri. It is naturally the refuge of the lazy and/or simple minded to compare like.
As others have said, any procurement must be part of a long-term plan. Does the Ministry of Defence have a long-term plan?
Another thought to consider, if Singapore is the most likely adversary that Malaysia will face in the future (which I do not believe it is), why buy MRCA aircraft? Why not buy enough artillery, incl more Astros systems, to saturate every square inch of Singapore's defences, and advanced Air Defence systems to protect the artillery?
Reply
Its more likely China (but of course no one dares to say it loud) thats the reasons for the MRCA and SGPV/LCS and the submarines of course....