40% of RMAF assets need upgrading, says chief

SHAH ALAM: A staggering 40% of assets belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) need immediate upgrading, its chief Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang revealed.
Speaking to the press in a special interview in conjunction with the RMAF Day 2018 which falls today (June 1), he said these assets have surpassed the 20-year lifespan which would necessitate an upgrade to ensure they operate at an optimum level and require less expenditure for maintenance.
"Looking at our assets today, many have past 20, 30 years, and the need to upgrade these assets is very high. This is so that our planes and helicopters can operate optimally. Otherwise, it will cost us a lot to maintain them.
"But can we afford the upgrades? Even if we can, we need to also ask ourselves, can we afford to spend according to the operational expenditure capability to ensure all our equipment are in good condition at all times?
"It needs to be reminded that there's no use having expensive and high-capability assets if we are not capable of maintaining them effectively," he said, here, on Wednesday.
Affendi explained that maintenance cost would increase if upgrading was not done immediately as older assets tend to cause more problems and would, therefore, require more frequent servicing.
He, however, noted that the government was working on a tight budget and that RMAF would, therefore, give greater emphasis on those assets that most needed upgrading.
Affendi said among the assets that needed immediate upgrading were the Hawk fighter jets, C-130 Hercules fleet and Nuri helicopters, as they have passed the 20-year mark.
"Although relatively the Hawk and C-130 planes are just passing over 20 years, we need to carry upgrading, and the latter may require a service life extension programme (SLEP).
"And of course our Nuris have been in service for more than 40 or 50 years. Although in terms of components they are still in good condition, but because they are really old, the production of spares will be an issue," he said.
Affendi added that plans to make purchases of new assets should also be done between five to 10 years in advance to ensure that when the time calls for it, the assets would be readily available.