SHAH ALAM: MSA first joint exercise. Four days ago, Malaysian Defence made an educated guess that RMAF CN-235 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) is taking part in its first joint exercise, the RMN Eastern Command organised Operational Sea Training Exercise East (OSTEXEast 1/23). And by luck, I was proven correct.
And we were lucky to get a view of the MSA taking part in the exercise via a video (see below) published by the RMN. It is the best we can get as I had stated previously that RMAF does not want to talk too much on the MSA/MPA capability. The RMN release on the exercise also did not mention the MSA participation.
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Kota Kinabalu, 22 Mac β Bermula 14 sehingga 22 Mac 23, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) melalui Markas Pemerintahan Armada Timur memulakan latihan operasi maritim dengan penganjuran #OSTEXEast 1/2023. Konsep eksesais secara lapangan atau Field Training Exercise (FTX) menjadi fokus dalam pelaksanaan eksesais kali ini. Eksesais intra-TLDM ini merupakan siri pertama yang dilaksanakan bagi tahun 2023. Eksesais ini juga melibatkan keanggotaan dan aset di bawah Markas Wilayah Laut 2, Sandakan.
Eksesais tahunan ini menjadi platform utama dalam usaha membentuk dan meningkatkan kecekapan warga The Navy People termasuk kesiagaan aset-aset di Armada Timur. Misi utama adalah menyediakan angkatan laut yang siapsiaga menghadapi situasi ancaman maritim yang dinamik. Eksesais turut membuka ruang kepada warga The Navy People untuk mempertingkatkan kemahiran dalam aspek navigasi, ilmu kelautan dan peperangan maritim. Selain itu, melalui eksesais ini kehadiran aset-aset TLDM di Zon Maritim Malaysia dapat dipamerkan.
Terdahulu, OSTEX EAST 1/2023 telah dirasmikan di Pangkalan TLDM Kota Kinabalu oleh Panglima Armada Timur, Laksamana Madya Datoβ Pahlawan Hj Muhammad Ruzelme bin Hj Ahmad Fahimy pada 16 Mac 23. Dalam ucapan beliau, Panglima Armada Timur menekankan kepentingan untuk warga TLDM sentiasa memberi sepenuh komitmen dan berusaha mempertingkat kemahiran agar modal insan yang berkualiti dapat dikekalkan. Setiap dapatan yang diperoleh melalui pelaksanaan eksesais KERISMAS 27/2022 iaitu eksesais terbesar TLDM pada tahun lepas, dijadikan sebagai rujukan bagi meneruskan kecemerlangan operasi maritim TLDM walaupun dibelenggu isu keusangan aset. Dalam masa yang sama, beliau turut merakamkan penghargaan kepada pihak kerajaan kerana telah meluluskan projek kapal Littoral Mission Ship Batch Kedua semasa pembentangan Bajet 2023 pada 24 Februari 2023.
Fasa Pelabuhan bagi eksesais ini telah dimulakan dengan taklimat utama, perbincangan operasi di antara pegawai operasi kapal, latihan praktikal di pelabuhan dan taklimat sebelum pelayaran. Seterusnya, Fasa Laut telah terlaksana di Perairan Laut Cina Selatan. Ia menyaksikan kemampuan 8 buah kapal TLDM dan satu kapal selam diuji dengan evolusi peperangan maritim sebenar. Turut terlibat sebagai elemen udara adalah Helikopter Operasi Maritim AW139 dan pesawat UAS Scan Eagle. Pasukan sahabat iaitu Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) turut terlibat dengan penyertaan aset-aset seperti helikopter EC725, pesawat CN235 dan pesawat Hawk untuk evolusi peperangan anti udara di dalam domain peperangan maritim.
Evolusi di laut turut menguji ketangkasan warga The Navy People dengan melaksanakan latihan menghadapi peperangan permukaan, manuvra taktis, penembakan sasaran permukaan statik, latihan menggeledah, pemindahan tali ringan dan pendaratan helikopter di kapal. TLDM turut memastikan ketiga-tiga elemen iaitu People, Platform dan Process dijadikan intipati dalam segala pelaksanaan eksesais. Ini bertujuan sebagai pemantauan berterusan terhadap tahap kompetensi warga The Navy People yang menjadi keutamaan walaupun mengoperasikan aset yang kian berusia.
Eksesais intra sebegini sentiasa dilaksanakan seiring peranan TLDM ketika aman iaitu menyediakan angkatan yang kompeten dan siaga sebilang masa. Ia turut menzahirkan komitmen TLDM dalam mempertahan perairan maritim negara. Mengambil semangat daripada cogan kata βSedia Berkorbanβ, setiap evolusi yang menuntut komitmen dan fokus warga The Navy People menitikberat soal keselamatan warga dan asetnya tersendiri.
β Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (50)
2023 keeps giving! Do you now think there is the possibility of a contract signing for the LMS II at this years LIMA, Marhalim?
Exercises are one way to use up ammo & munitions that we otherwise would not get to fire in anger. We risk them getting expired rather than a shortage of supply so we should do more exercises. Do it every month if possible, rotate between the 3 main services, that way we can consume enough munitions to make local manufacturing profitable and recurring business.
Most of the ammo expended during OSTEASTEX were imported. Even the flares were imported. The only exception will be the 7.62mm ammo of the GPMGs.
I am not sure really
Tom Tom - ''2023 keeps giving! ''
Doesn't say a lot considering that there were many years that didn't ''keep giving''; that what we are getting is long delayed and insufficient in numbers.
Joe - who is going to pay for the replenishment of used ammo?
The taxpayers, who (theoretically) would gain in the economic benefits from a profitable & recurring defence industry, thus it (theoretically) becomes a cycle. Make ammo become another FMCG product.
That's because we hardly give business to SMEO anymore...
Joe - Then the question is how will it be paid? Or to frame the question differently, from where will or should the money come from? More taxes? From the healthcare budget? From the education budget? Reducing subsidies? From the LMS batch 2 budget? Or perhaps just print more money?
Any plan from the navy to upgrade the scorpene to fuel cell aip like INS Kalvari?
''Thatβs because we hardly give business to SMEO anymoreβ¦''
Because it's often cheaper and faster to buy from SME which has to import all the components/ingredients used for the manufacture of ammo and paid for in foreign currency.
kel - ''Then the question is how will it be paid?''
No idea what answer you desire or the answer you think should be given but the funds are from a budget already allocated to the services. Also, not every exercise involves live fire and the live firings of certain weapons routinely take place out of exercises [will elaborate more if asked]..