Interim Capability Till Sea King Replacement Resolved
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) announced on 22 January that it has inducted the first two (of four) leased Leonardo AW139 multirole helicopters.
The medium-lift aircraft were delivered to No 3 Squadron at Butterworth Air Base in Penang on 4 December but were only commissioned during a recent visit to the base by RMAF Chief Gen Tan Sri Ackbal bin Hj Abdul Samad. The service stated the remaining two helicopters are set to be handed over on 22 February and 22 April, while noting that all four platforms will be operated from Butterworth. According to the RMAF chief, the service has already trained an initial of eight pilots and four air-quartermasters for the AW139s.
The AW139s are being leased from local company Weststar Aviation Services Sdn. Bhd, as a stop-gap measure until the RMAF acquires other platforms to replace its fleet of ageing Sikorsky S-61 Sea King Nuri helicopters, which have been grounded indefinitely due to safety concerns.
It is likely that the RMAF will lease additional helicopters until a formal replacement for the Nuri is found. In this regard, Malaysian newspaper New Strait Times reported on 24 January that the purchase of 24 new helicopters is set to be made during the 13th (2026-2030) and 14th (2031-2035) ‘Malaysia Plans’. “We plan to acquire a fleet of 12 new helicopters under the 13th Malaysia Plan, and the remaining 12 in the following 14th Malaysia Plan,” the RMAF chief was quoted as saying.
The service also operates 12 Airbus H225M transport helicopters, which it bought in 2010 after the fatal crash of a Sea King in 2007.
The latest developments come after the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) revealed in late 2020 that it would buy an initial three AW139s under its Maritime Operations Helicopter (MOH) programme. These naval helicopters, due for delivery 2022-2024, are expected to be deployed on operations along the eastern coast of Sabah. Among other things, the 2019 MOH tender specified that the selected platform would be required to operate from ships and floating bases.
Gabriel Dominguez for MON
