Useful What?

For those wondering why we need the submarines, or for that matter other armaments during PEACE TIME, well here is one for the submarines are good for.

Submarines Help Complete Malaysia's Hydrographic Charts December 08, 2011 22:30 PM

LANGKAWI, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- The addition of two Scorpene submarines in the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) assisted in the completion of hydrographic and nautical charts of the country's coasts, said RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar. "Our hydrographic chart is already at 100 per cent and this success can also be attributed to the Malaysian Marine Department and National Hydrographic Centre in Pulau Indah, Selangor. "The process could be expedited and completed as the submarines were equipped with a sophisticated sonar system, among others," he told reporters at the Awana Porto Malai jetty during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2011 (LIMA '11) here Thursday. Abdul Aziz said the RMN also planned to have a fleet of six submarines. LIMA's air display segment is held at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre while the maritime segment is at the Awana Porto Malai. The five-day exhibition ends on Saturday. -- BERNAMA

Well if you do not think this is important, ask the fisherman and the sailors who brings the majority of stuff you use in your household what they think?

A Good Day For The Malaysian Military

Today is a good day for the Malaysian Military.

For the Royal Malaysian Navy, the contract for the LCS is signed but only currently appears in the Malay version of Bernama.

16 Disember, 2011 19:24 PM

Unit Boustead Dapat Kontrak Mindef Bernilai RM9 Bilion

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Dis (Bernama) -- Unit kepada Boustead Holdings Bhd, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd telah diberikan kontrak bernilai RM9 bilion oleh Kementerian Pertahanan.

Kontrak itu ialah untuk penghantaran enam unit generasi kedua "Patrol Vessels Littoral Combat Ships" (Frigate Class) kepada kementerian, kata syarikat dalam kenyataan kepada Bursa Malaysia Jumaat.

Niaga janji itu meliputi reka bentuk, pembinaan, peralatan, pemasangan, pelaksanaan, integrasi dan pengujian ke atas keenam-enam kapal itu, katanya.

"Kontrak itu bernilai RM9 bilion, akan dilaksanakan dalam tempoh tiga Rancangan Malaysia, 10, 11 dan 12," katanya.

Penghantaran pertama dijangka pada 2017 dan disusuli oleh yang lain setiap enam bulan selepasnya.

-- BERNAMA

Only I wonder why they chose not to sign it during the recent LIMA.

Second the bravery of the RMAF own special forces is recognised as per below :

December 16, 2011 19:46 PM

Operasi Fajar RMAF Sergeant Recognised For Valour

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- A Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel who was involved in Operasi Fajar to free a Malaysian ship from Somali pirates early this year, has been recognised for valour.

RMAF's Special Air Service (PASKAU) member Air Force Sergeant Mohamad Lockman Abdul Jabar, 32, was among three RMAF personnel who were conferred valour awards (Airman of the Year 2011) from RMAF chief Gen Tan Sri Rodzali Daud in Subang near here Friday.

He received the award in the sergeant's category.

"The award is given based on evaluation of an individual for integrity, bravery, excellence, friendship and prioritising services," Mohamad Lockman, who is from Kluang, Johor, told reporters.

In the 11.40pm incident on Jan 20, seven Somalian pirates armed with AK-47s and pistols attacked and captured the MT Bunga Laurel in the Gulf of Aden about 333 nautical miles (555km) east of Oman.

Nevertheless, the fast action of RMAF's PASKAU (air commandos) succeeded in rescuing the merchant ship and its 23 crew.

In his speech, Rodzali said the presentation of the awards should act as a catalyst to all RMAF personnel to improve their performance and contribute towards the human capital development of their teams.

The other two recipients of the awards were Air Force Warrant Officer 1 Azmi Bakar (Warrant Officer category) and Air Force Corporal Norafiszal Sabran (corporal category).

-- BERNAMA

Good Job!

What's The Story Mory Now?

I had read with concern the news report below on the status of the Royal Malaysian Navy LCS programme and till the end of LIMA 2011 there was no concrete information on its status by any party.

Combat ship deal held up

Posted on 7 December 2011 - 05:30am
Last updated on 7 December 2011 - 02:17pm

Marhalim Abas
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

LANGKAWI (Dec 7, 2011): The Gowind frigate, designed by French company DCNS, has been selected for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme.

However, the contract for building the six ships remains on hold due to disagreements between the builder, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), and the end user RMN, according to people familiar with the programme.

One of the key sticking points is BNS and DCNS’s insistence that the ships adopt the SETIS combat management system (CMS) designed by the French company.

RMN instead wants another system developed by Thales, the Tacticos, being integrated into one of its vessels, KD Kasturi.

The navy had hoped to reduce the number of CMS in its fleet to reduce training and support issues. RMN chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar told theSun yesterday that the government had chosen the Gowind design for the LCS programme.

He declined to confirm or deny speculation that the contract would only be signed when the RMN was satisfied that its requirements were met. He, however, confirmed most of the specifications for the ship had been finalised.

BNS managing director Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor, however, denied the delay was due to disagreement with the end user.

“It is up to the government. We are ready to go forward,” said Ahmad Ramli, a former RMN chief.

Despite the delay, BNS is displaying a model of the Gowind frigate at the Langkawi International Maritime Aerospace exhibition here. The frigate is 107m-long with a displacement of 2,750 tonnes.

It will be armed with a 57mm gun, surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes. With four diesel engines, the ship will have a top speed of 29 knots. theSun had reported on Tuesday that the widely speculated deal for six LCS would be delayed until next year.

A report published in the Janes Defence Weekly stated that the Malaysian government was likely to postpone defence procurement in view of the general election, which could be held early next year.

The LCS contract has been in news since February after Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the government had awarded BNS a RM6 billion contract to build six LCS or Second Generation Patrols Vessels for the RMN.

The announcement caused an uproar as critics claimed the price of the ships were inflated.

I would rather the story wither rather than the project as the only indicator things are moving along is the display of a supposed model of the LCS based on the French Gowind class below courtesy of forumer marc_zman of mymil. However whether this is the definitive model or otherwise, your guess is as good as mine.

There Is Just No Satisfying Some People

Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng and his entourage climbing aboard the KD ‘Tun Razak’ for a dive session about 40 nautical miles from the Awana Porto Malai jetty in Langkawi.

It is now a matter of record that the three opposition leaders that heads the current Penang State Government has taken a dive in one of the Royal Malaysian Navy Scorpene Submarine during the recent LIMA.

But Politicians being politicians, it can be expected that the event would still be spinned away as per the Chief Minister's blog posting below.

Guan Eng slams Zahid: Don't try to cover up Scorpenes high cost and commission

He can rant all he wants but to this I wanna ask, where does he get off in comparing a submarine purchase with a car purchase ;

After all if one buys a new car, and there is a defect, you take it back to the showroom and ask for a new one. However Zahid refused my suggestion and challenged me to take a dive with the submarine.

Please show of any case in the world where a country with a defective submarine can get a replacement, maybe he is referring to Australia but then he has been mis-informedla as they also cannot get a replacement hahahaha!

At least this time he praises our serviceman including the submariners, but please do not forget your praises of them the next time you want to heap scorn on our military purchases and operationality.

Edited : In case anybody wants proof of the dive itself, the photo sequence is right here at Mymil forum courtesy of forumer Standupper.

First Shots Of Training Ship

Here are some of the first shots of the RMN new training ships expected to be commissioned in 2013. The rest of the pictures can be seem here. Credits to Standupper of mymil forum.

Well If You Can't Make It

Well well the RMN finally did something different, they made a photo gallery of the first day of LIMA 2011, so if you cannot be there like me, at least these photos can be a consolation.

Galeri - LIMA '11 - 5 DISEMBER 2011

No New Idea Ma?

Again so called experts are asking questions about the Navy's submarine purchase in order to bring it into disrepute.

This is in a dated article from another supposedly naval procurement expert which I initially do not want to comment about; Our Third Submarine Stirs Up Muddy Waters, but if an Old Salt commented with rational reasons in response is something that I should highlight here.

Masih Isu Kapal Selam

While I am it might as well post here some comebacks by my erstwhile forum colleague Mr. Alphawolf, the owner of Firebase Alpha-Kyron blog, made in Mymil forum :

So, selain flogging a dead horse (takleh menyelam etc) ada lagi benda cuba diisukan...

Tapi aku suka part ni
- Agosta class JV DCNS dengan 'Agosta'....tahun 70an mana ada JV sangat...dah la tu tak wujud shipyard nama Agosta. Spanish punya Agosta cumalah licence-built

Analogi Ouessant dengan Proton Saga
- Hah, even belajar memandu pun pakai Kancil lama (zaman aku dulu pakai Nissan 120Y lagi!). Pasal rega tu wa tak pasti, tapi kalau tak salah wa France bagi free? Dan analogi muzium = reban ayam. Aku tak tau la, ada ke orang bukak reban ayam untuk lawatan?

Agosta jadi sweetener = analogi aku ...kalau kita beli BMW 320i, lepas tu ada faults, instead of repairing FOC, we get an older model of a Beemer to appease us...

Beli senjata...as if kalau beli Scorpene fully armed harga sama dengan 'kosong'. Dah la tu, weapons contractor asing dari shipyard...

'envy sebab ada 3 exhibit'? Setakat 3 sub aje sape nak envy...kat US ada 2-3 biji carrier, 2-3 biji battleship, berbiji2 smaller combatants.....

Anyone for dead horse meat? But not in the form of a submarine museum piece la.


By the way, this was never our so-called third submarine, only an ex-French Navy submarine re-activated by a third party to be used as a training submarine for Malaysian Submariners that was deactivated again and finally donated to us as a museum piece. And even if it is donated, we still have to sign a transfer of ownershipla, why you think that this means we purchased it. Do your research properlyla, again I remind you.

What Shall We Name This Museum Piece?

Earlier this month the Ex-Quessant Submarine was loaded on board her transport ship and is due to arrive in November 2011. Since she has never been officially inducted into the Malaysian Navy yet she is to be displayed as a museum piece in Malacca, I was wondering if we should rename her when we put her on display. What do you all think? In the meantime, enjoy photographs of her being transported and also her final destination being prepared courtesy of Standupper @ mymil

Don't Miss Your Chance

I finally had the chance to see the above exhibition in our National Museum and I must say that it is worth the entrance fee. It is not everyday we can see model kits and dioramas depicting events related to Malaysian development from before and after Merdeka, and both civil dan military showcases has done a brilliant job of it.

Though it is officially to end on the 14th October, I believe the exhibition will be extended to the end of the month. So do not miss the opportunity to visit as this is not only about the model displays, but the show case of how Malaysia arrived at where we are. Let the family especially the kits enjoy history in a very unique way, they will love it. I leave you with a selection of photos that I had taken at the showcase, but please go there to enjoy it personally. More photos can be seen at mymil forum.

Ops Pasir Demo Video

Video on recent demonstration for Ops Pasir, to keep Sabah safe.

Bunga Mas 6 Commissioning Video

Here is the video of the commissioning .

Kredit Standupper@mymil forum

As A Matter Of Record

Credit : Standupper @ mymil

Finally the Navy's second Auxilliary Vessel Bunga Mas 6 (BM6) was officially launched yesterday.

Read all about her here. I wish the ship crew good hunting and godspeed in your duties. Nonetheless, I would like to highlight that there will now be two naval helicopters that will operate outside the nation's maritime boundaries. Maybe it is now time for the Navy to get more aviation units for their operations, don't you think?

Taming Sari Exercise Video

Courtesy of Standupper from Mymil forum.

So CanThese Be Displayed In The RMAF Museum?

A Malaysian military modeler forumer is letting go of his RMAF 1/48 scale aircraft collection as a set. These things rarely go to the market in museum quality state. I wonder if some wealthy scion of society can buy up the set and donate it to an appropriate museum as a showcase of our Armed Forces history.

Some sample photos :

Now That's A Thing Of Beauty

Another MM40 hits the target.




You can see the shot by shot sequence here.

Our Submarine Can't Sink!

Baca betul-betul or read properly. Our submarine flotilla once again proved their operational status when KD Tun Razak dove to her maximum depth with the Navy's Captain in Chief, The Sultan of Selangor on board. The Captain in Chief also took part in a naval tradition of tasting the seawater of that depth.

Photos originally posted by Standupper at Mymil.

This proves that allegations that our submarines cannot dive are pure lies and hogwash. Continuing a theme in the cyberworld, if you still cannot believe this fact, why don't you politicians in Selangor ask your Sultan about it?

The Police Has Acted In Good Faith, So Will You?

All is revealed, the PDRM has answered the allegations made against them and showed one to be an outright lie.

Cops give their side of events; video clips on Bersih rally shown

So will you accept the facts or still live in your own dream world.

Full disclosure videos can be seen here.

Video Perhimpunan Haram 9 Julai Part 1

Video Perhimpunan Haram 9 Julai Part 2

Video Perhimpunan Haram 9 Julai Part 3

Video Perhimpunan Haram 9 Julai Part 4

Muscle Flexing

Well sometimes we have to show what we have right, especially to disprove claims that our assets cannot perform.





Read the official Royal Malaysian Navy report here while the Jane's report can be read here.

Best Photo of 9 July 2011

Bersih supporters shaking hands with policemen after the rally in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur yesterday. - 10 July, 2011

Remember when all is said and done, we are all Malaysians and do not let adversity drive a deep wedge between us.

Here's Hoping!

Here's hoping that 09/07/2011 will not be a significant date in Malaysian history and our Armed Forces will not be forced into this.

You may think you want to try their resolve, but my advice is don't! You will regret it as the nation is behind them despite what you may think.

Check Mate, Mate!

It is good that the proposed street rallies has been cancelled, otherwise we could have seen these men in real action.

It is good to know that the men in camouflage has got their brothers in blue back as it seems that there are subversives who had prepared to take the street rallies to a more violent course. It is good reminder that the threats to the nation are both within and without.

Orderly inventory: DCP Tun Hisan (left) looking at the Molotov cocktails, parang and Bersih 2.0 T-shirts in Shah Alam Tuesday.

Sempang To Sendayan

Its now confirmed but will await a further press conference for more details, but the Prime Minister has just announced the location of the new Air Force Base to replace The Sempang Sungei Besi Air Base as previously mentioned before.

The Star Online > Nation

Published: Saturday May 28, 2011 MYT 12:41:00 PM
Updated: Saturday May 28, 2011 MYT 2:19:41 PM

PM: New air force base in Sendayan to replace Sg Besi base

By SARBAN SINGH

GEMAS: A new air force base will be built in Sendayan in Negri Sembilan, to replace the Sg Besi base in Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the details of the project would be announced soon.

He was speaking to reporters after launching the community rehabilitation centre here on Saturday.

Sendayan is 12km from Seremban.

In June, last year, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed that the air base would be closed to make way for the “Greater KL” development project as laid out in the 10th Malaysia Plan.

However, the high cost of a relocation, estimated to cost several hundred millions of ringgit, if not more, has been a major sticking point.

Apart from Royal Malaysian Air Force and the police air wing, the air unit of the Fire and Rescue Deparment (Bomba) also operates from the airport, as well as the Royal Selangor Flying Club with its fleet of three Cessna aircraft and a Robinson R44 Raven helicopter.

The Aerospace Medical Institute and the RMAF museum are also located there.

The Sungai Besi Airport is the country's first international airport.

The 162-hectare airport, also known as Simpang, served as the main air link from 1952 to 1965, before Subang Airport was opened.

Sungai Besi Airport was originally used as an airstrip in the 1930s but was turned into an airport after World War 2.