Of Missing Jet Engines ...

The Royal Malaysian Air Force ( RMAF )

The Royal Malaysian Air Farce umm... I mean Force, is also known as the Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia ( TUDM ). Recently, it made headlines yet again, all for the wrong reasons.

The Missing Jet Engine Scandal

In May 2008, it was reported that sometime earlier, two General Electric J-85 jet engines that powered the F-5E fighters of the RMAF had been missing from a warehouse in Kuala Lumpur. It was later established that the engines were stolen and exported to Uruguay by the combined efforts of greedy defence contractors and crooked RMAF personnel. These engines were procured by the Malaysian government in 1975 from the United States of America at the cost of a few million dollars. The criminals planned to strip the engines down to parts in South America and then sell it back to the RMAF. Before we go into the details of the scandal here's some background information of the jets and the engines.

The F-5E Tiger II Jet Fighter

A USAF F-5E with an aggressor paint scheme Nov 1981. Photo : USAF / Wikipedia

 

Old, But Not Obsolete! Unlike the TUMD's fighter, some surviving global F-5 fleets have been carefully maintained and received progressive upgrading to add new capabilities, like the Brazilian Air Force's F-5EM illustrated here, circa 2011. Wikipedia 

Like many third world air farces of the region, RMAF operated a squadron of the very popular F-5E and even the RF-5 Tigereye reconnaissance version. The F-5E could have its origins traced back to the 1950s, where Northrop developed a low cost, lightweight jet fighter that was meant to be sold to third world allies of the United States. It would be called the F-5A Freedom Fighter, with the F-5B being the two seat trainer version. Production started in 1962 and the F-5A/B was sold to a number of countries including Taiwan, the Philippines, and even saw limited combat action with the USAF in Vietnam in 1965. By 1970, the requirement for an improved export fighter with better performance against aircrafts such as the MiG-21 saw the F-5A evolving into the F-5E Tiger II, with the F-5F being the 2 seat trainer version. They would be fitted with a more powerful afterburning engine, the General Electric J-85-21A jet engine. This is the engine at the heart of the RMAF scandal.

Cutaway view of a GE J85-17A turbojet engine circa 1970 similar to the one used in F-5s Source : Wikipedia

 

This rather compact jet engine measures about 2.8m in length and has a diameter of 0.53m. It weighs approxmately 310kg. How something like this can disappear from an airbase and remain undetected and unaccounted for really defies logic. RMAF must have been extremely challenged at inventory management and book keeping ( which the Air Force later admitted to in court ). As usual, official accounts of how the incident took place can never be taken at face value.

The Unfolding Saga

The jet engines and their service and maintenance records were discovered missing on 22nd May 2008 and a police report was lodged only on 4th Aug, a two and a half month delay! They were surposed to have been shipped to Argentina and then Uruguay.

The contractor and RMAF personnel implicated could easily have been fall guys to take the blame for the misdeeds of higher ranking personnels. So far two ethnic Indians have been charged in court in connection with the theft and disposal of the engines. They are company director K. Rajandran Prasad  and RMAF Staff Sergeant N. Tharmendran.

By Jul 2012, more details have emerged. As prosecution witness, RMAF senior airman Corporal Mohamad Shukri Mohd Yusof, 29, admitted in court that he stole the 2 jet engines from the Sungai Besi Airbase in 2008 with another RMAF personnel known as Sergeant Fauzi after being asked to do so by Staff Sergeant Tharmendran. Fauzi was the lorry driver.

On 30th Apr 2008 Shukri and Fauzi both wore uniforms to avoid arousing suspicion when they took the engines out of  the Material Processing Shed Matra 1, RMAF base, Sungai Besi. He was then paid Malasian Ringgit RM 90000.00 ( USD 28116.00 ) in 3 instalments by Tharmendran. RM30000.00 was given to Fauzi and the rest was kept by Shukri who subsequently spent it on repaying his study loan (RM12000) , settle his car loan (RM8000), for investment (RM10000), honeymoon in Tioman Island (RM5000) and an undisclosed sum on shopping. When asked by the defendent's lawyer why he did not return the money to the police during investigations, the reply was " they did not ask for it " !!! Land of the Incompetent!!!!

He also disclosed that after the incident, 30 RMAF personnel were sacked but he was not one of them because he was needed by the military as a witness to testify against Tharmendran, prompting the defendent's lawyer to cry foul - the person who stole was not only not charged or sacked but walk into the court to testify against two others who are facing charges!

Another shocking admission was that it was not the first time he stole from the military. He had done it " four or five " times previously, and had stolen transmitters and aircraft spare parts, among other things. To retain a serial stealer in one's ranks is something so stupid that it is almost incomprehensible. Again, like I always say these Malaysian sagas can never be taken at face value. Someone higher up may have something more to hide by retaining this errant airman.

The court also heard from another witness, the Ex-Head of the 12th Squadron engineering division at the Butterworth Air Base, Abdul Rahim, that the process of removing a damaged F-5 engine from the base involves many processes, starting from the time the pilot files a report in the Integrated Computer Management System (SPKB). It is the responsibility of RMAF personnel to remove the engine from the aircraft but the containerising is done by a private maintenance contractor Airod Sdn Bhd. Many more steps are involved before the container can be moved to the godown Matra Tiga at Butterworth Airbase where it will eventually be sent to Kuala Lumpur Air Base, again after several more processes. That said, to have all these processes and checks bypassed should be no small feat, unless perhaps there are higher authorities involved? The Prime Minister Najib Razak who was Minister for Defense when the theft occured, swore that there would be no cover up. Malaysian government, as usual, said that no higher ranking officials were involved. Already, an Air Force General has been cleared and the small fry are held responsible.


Director Rajandran Prasad  pleaded not guilty to the charge of intentionally disposing off the engines at 49 Jalan TS 6/6, Taman Industri Subang on April 30, 2008. He was charged under Section 414 of the Penal Code which is punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine upon conviction. He also pleaded not guilty to five money laundering charges involving RM437319.50 ( USD136619.00 ).

Staff Sergeant Tharmendran pleaded not guilty to conspiring with airman Mohamad Shukri Mohamad Yusop to stealing two J85-21A model of F5 jet engines from the Material Processing Shed MATRA 1, Sungai Besi RMAF Base, on April 30, 2008. He was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code which is punishable with imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine upon conviction. He also earlier pleaded not guilty to a money laundering charge, involving RM62000 ( USD19369 ).

 

 

More Damning Information from Julian Assange

To make matters worse, leaked diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks also revealed that the Malaysian government had been tardy in notifying the United States government about the missing J-85 jet engines as required by Arms Export Control Act. It wasn't until 6th Jan 2010 that the US government was officially informed about the theft and the excuse given was that the investigations were ongoing at that time and not yet finalised so the notification was delayed. Naturally Uncle Sam is not too happy about the entire affair.


How would the Malaysian government be able to convice the US to sell them advanced weaponry if they cannot even account for entire jet engines and abide by their obligations of disclosure in the event of mishap? AIM-120 advance medium ranged air-to-air missile for the F/A-18 Hornets? They might just conviniently end up in Irkutsk or Novosibirsk ... Or maybe Teheran.

Now we finally understand why RMAF is buying so many MiGs and Sukhois, for the Russians do not give a hoot how the planes are used or used against anybody or how you maintain your engines, or whether you have an impeccable human rights record, ill treat your dog, elope with your neighbour's wife etc. As long as the palm oil and cash keep flowing into their coffers, you can have the LATEST and the BADDEST toy in Putin's playroom, like the AA-12 ( NATO Code Name Udder Adder ).

The incredulous saga continues .... Please keep watching this space for more insane and mind bloggling stuff.

Multiple Rocket Launcher Duel : M-142 HIMARS vs ASTROS II

Lockheed Martin M-142 HIMARS and Avibras ASTROS II

 

 

For the uninitiated, these are multiple launch rocket artillery systems made by the USA and Brazil respectively. They have been exported to many other countries, including Malaysia ( ASTROS II ) in 2002 and Singapore ( M-142 HIMARS ) in 2009.

Malaysia became the second country in South East Asia to operate rocket artillery systems when it procured the ASTROS II. The honour of being the first goes to Thailand. By nature, rocket artillery are more suited for offensive operations rather than for defence. So it will not be easy to justify such a purchase unless your neighbour does it first. It came as no surprise therefore that once Malaysia has acquired that capability Singapore also ordered rocket artillery systems to boost the firepower of its Army. The US government would not have approved the sale if Singapore's neighbours had not acquired that capability first anyway, as they have always been reluctant to allow the introduction of a new capability into any region.

M-142 Himars at Bagram Air Field Afghanistan ready to execute fire support mission. Photo via wikicommons

HIMARS battery live firing exercise code named Ex. Daring Warrior
by 23rd Battalion Singapore Artillery at Fort Sill,
 Oklahoma, USA, Nov 2010 Source : MINDEF

 

A Brief History of the Rocket and the Multiple Rocket Launcher

Illustration of Korean Rocket Launcher of the 1500s ( source : Wikipedia )

 

Ever since its invention by the ancient Chinese scientists sometime around the 13th century, the rocket, in its various forms, had been deployed as a weapon of war. The Chinese and Koreans had their own primitive version of the multiple rocket launcher which fired one or two hundred blackpowder projectiles upon ignition. For centuries since then, the rocket had remained largely for ceremonial use in fireworks and such.

Dr. Robert H. Goddard and a liquid oxygen-gasoline rocket
in the frame from which it was fired on March 16, 1926,
 at Auburn, Massachusetts ( source : Wikipedia )

 

It was not until the 20th century that modern rocketry was founded, with the American scientist Robert Goddard attaching a supersonic nozzle to the combustion chamber of a liquid-fueled rocket engine, increasing the efficiency of the rocket engine from 2% to 64%. He was also the first to launch a liquid-fueled rocket in the year 1926.

 

Replica of A WWII German V-2 Missile ( source : Wikipedia )

 

Since then advancement in rocket science has been rapid and relentless. With World War II came the production of new weapons such as the anti-tank rockets, tank, truck or ship mounted multiple launch rocket systems, air-to-ground rockets, rocket powered fighter planes, and the V-1 and V-2 missiles.

Post World War Two saw the development of multi-staged rockets that would evolve into launch vehicles for nuclear weapons. Eventually, these ballistic missiles were modified to launch artificial satellites into earth orbit and beyond, leading ultimately to the moon landing in 1969 and allowing for unmanned exploration of the inner solar system.

Modern Rocket Artillery

 

The first iron-cased metal cylinder rocket artillery were developed by Tipu Sultan, the Indian-Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, and his father Hyder Ali, in the 1780s. He successfully used these rockets against larger forces of the British East India Company during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. These Mysore rockets were more advanced than anything the British had at that time mainly because the iron tube that held the propellant powder allowed for a higher internal pressure to develop during combustion and achieve a higher thrust and therefore longer range.

The rocket was lashed with leather thongs to a long bamboo stick and had a range of perhaps three quarters of a mile ( 1.2km ). They were hurled into the air after being lighted or were allowed to skim along the surface of the dry ground. Although individually they were not in anyway accurate, their effect when deployed in mass numbers can still be devastating. They were particularly effective against the cavalry.

During the Battle of Seringapatam in 1792 and 1799, these iron rockets were used to considerable effect on the British. The eventual defeat of Tipu meant that the British captured a number of the rockets which deeply influenced subsequent rocket development, ultimately inspiring the Congreve Rocket which was used during the Napoleonic Wars, including the Battle of Waterloo, and other wars during the 19th century.



Russian Soldier Firing a Congreve Rocket. Source : Wikipedia

 

You can read about the fictionalised Battle of Seringapatam in Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Tiger : Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam (1799) where a young British Redcoat by the name of Pte Richard Sharpe fought the Tippu Sultan Army and eventually killed Tippu and horded some of his treasures.

Cover art of Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell.

German 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 launcher while reloading, 1943. ( source : German Archives / Wikipedia )

 

During World War II, it was the Germans and the Russians who developed and deployed large numbers of rocket artillery. The Germans had the Nebelwerfer series of towed rocket artillery although some were self-propelled ( Panzerwerfer ) and the Russians had their Katyusha series which were usually vehicle mounted and therefore more mobile. The Americans and British were late to develop their rocket forces with the US Army eventually mounting rocket launchers on top of modified M-4 Sherman Tanks. These were known as the T-34 Calliope rocket tanks. The US Navy however, made extensive use of rockets fired from warships and landing crafts during the Pacific War to soften up Japanese-held islands before an amphibious landing.

 

The T-34 Calliope Rocket Tank of the US Army during WWII. Source : Wikipedia

 

Since World War II, having seen the destructive firepower of rockets deployed in masses on area targets and the terrifying psychological effects the rockets bring about on the enemy, many nations have developed their own rocket artillery systems.

The Avibras ASTROS II

Saudi Arabian Astros II SS-30 launch during Operation Desert Storm ( source : Wikipedia )

 

The ASTROS II ( Artillery SaTuration ROcket System ) is made by Avibras Aerospatial SA of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Avibras has been manufacturing MLRS since the 1960s. In the early eighties, a middle-eastern country, believed to be Iraq, requested Avibras to develop a mobile modular MLR system and the result was the ASTROS II. It was used against Iran during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. Currently it is in operation with the Brazilian Army, Saudi Arabian Defense Force, the Malaysian Army, and the defense forces of Bahrain, Qatar, Angola and soon Indonesia. The ASTROS II is a battle-proven system which was also deployed by the Saudi Arabians during the first Gulf War in 1991 and by Angola in their civil war against the UNITA forces.

The ASTROS II is basically a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher mounted on an all-terrain 6x6 wheeled vehicle. It features modular design and employs rockets with calibre ranging from 127mm to 300mm. It is usually deployed in batteries consisting of 6 launcher vehicles with 6 ammunition resupply vehicles and a radar equipped fire control vehicle, all mounted on the same Tectran 6x6 chassis. Each resupply truck carries 2 complete reloads.

Malaysia bought 18 ASTROS II launchers in 2002 and another 18 in 2007. This will enable it to form 6 batteries in total.

The trucks can reach a maximum speed of 90km/h on the road and 40km/h over rough terrain. They are largely unarmoured, therefore do not provide much protection against enemy fire. They also do not provide protection against nuclear, biological and chemical agents. A 0.5in heavy machine gun is mounted on the roof of the cab for self-protection. They are equipped with 6 smoke grenade launchers. The entire system is air-portable on the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which the Royal Malaysian Air Force also operates.

Saudi Arabian ASTROS II with SS-30 multiple rocket systems
 on Tectran 6x6 AV-LMU trucks, 1992. Photo via Wikicommons

Saudi Arabian ASTROS II firing SS-30 rocket, 1992. Photo via Wikicommons

ASTROS II TECTRAN AV-UCF fire control vehicle, Saudi Arabia, 1992 Photo : wikicommons

The ASTROS II launcher is capable of firing rockets of different calibre with different warheads. The SS-30 variant consist of 127mm rockets packed 32 rounds to a launcher and has a range between 9km to 30km. The SS-40 variant is made up of 180mm rockets packed 16 rounds per launcher with a range of 15km to 35km. The SS-60 and SS-80 variants pack 4 300mm rockets per launcher and have ranges of up to 60km for the SS-60 and 90km for the SS-80.
The warhead options include the traditional high explosive - fragmentation warheads, cluster munitions with multiple dual purpose ( anti-personnel , anti-armour ) bomblets, high explosive white phosphorous incendiary warheads, smoke deploying and mine deploying warheads, runway denial warheads and also chemical warheads.

The M-270 MLRS and Lockheed Martin M-142 HIMARS

 

US Army M-270 MLRS

 

 

Lockheed Martin / Vought Systems M-270 MLRS

The M-270 MLRS is an armoured, self-propelled, fully-tracked multiple launch rocket artillery system that was designed in the late 70's and in service with the US Army and several of its NATO and non-NATO allies since the early 80's. Production had ceased since 2003 when the last batch had been produced for Egypt.

It fires 227mm guided or unguided rockets packed 6 to a pod, 2 pods to each launcher. It can also fire the long range ATACMS ( Army TACtical Missile System ) ballistic missile one to each pod. It is a versatile weapons platform designed to supplement traditional tube artillery by delivering massive volumes of firepower in a short span of time against high value, time sensitive enemy targets under all weather conditions across the entire depth of the tactical battlefield. Some of these targets include enemy forward air defences, armoured units, artillery placements and personnel.  

Effective as it is, the M-270 is rather heavy at close to 25 tons. It can only be air lifted by the C-5A Galaxy, the C-17A Globemaster or the C-141 Starlifter heavy transport. Hence the development of a lighter wheeled version - the M-142 HIMARS ( High Mobility Artillery Rocket System ).

Danish M-270 MLRS in the rain and mud, 2003. Photo via wikicommons.

British Army M-270 firing practice rounds at Otterburn 2015. Photo via wikicommons.

German M-270 MLRS firing in 2013. Photo via wikicommons.

Awesome South Korean Army 5th Artillery Brigade M-270 night firing. Photo via wikicommons.

Awesome South Korean Army 5th Artillery Brigade M-270 night firing. Photo via wikicommons.

 

US Army MLRS Logo

Lockheed Martin M-142 HIMARS

The M-142 HIMARS is essentially a M-270 Lite. It shares many commonalities with its heavier cousin, using the same command, control and communications system, fire control system and launcher module. It carries one instead of two launcher pods and at about 11 tons is only half as heavy as the M-270. It is transportable by the C-130 medium transport ( roll-on roll-off ) and can be operationally deployed within 10 mins of landing.



Soldiers from Charlie Battery, 3/27 Field Artillery Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C., get ready to aim their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) as part of the Rapid Force Projection Initiative field experiment (RFPI). This experiment is being used to test new equipment and its usefulness with the light forces in the field. Photo : US DOD

Himars : Preparing a rocket pod for undocking. Photo via wikicommons

M-142 Himars at White Sands Missile Range, 2005. Photo : Wikicommons

 

 

Two US Marines Himars. Photo : Wikicommons



Himars firing : Second Platoon, Battery B, 5th Bn, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment
 at Yakima Training Centre, Washington State, 2009. Photo : Wikicommons

Tennessee Army National Guard 1/181st Field Artillery Battalion's
 Himars on ANG C-130 Hercules. Photo via Wikicommons

Himars of the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment loading onto
C-17 Globemaster Ex HI-RAIN 2014. Photo via wikicommons

 

It is mounted on a standard US Army Medium Tactical Vehicle which is actually a 6x6 all-wheel drive 5-ton truck and it can launch the entire Multiple Launch Rocket System Family of Munitions. Some of these include :

M26 Unguided 227mm rocket with 644 M77 DPICM* bomblets range up to 32km 

M26A1 Extended range with 518 M85 ( improved M77 ) bomblets range up to 45km

M30 GMRLS GPS guided rocket with 404 M85 submunitions range up to 60km

XM31 GMRLS guided rocket with unitary ( single warhead ) high explosive warhead range up to 70km

MGM-140 ATACMS precision tactical missile with up to 300km range

* DPICM = dual-purpose improved conventional munitions

 

The HIMARS has an armoured cabin and can travel at speeds of up to 94km/h on paved roads. It is usually operated by a crew of 3 but the automated fire control system can be managed by even a single crew member if necessary.

 The HIMARS is in service with the US Army, US Marines, UAE, Jordanian and Singapore Armed Forces. Singapore has acquired 18 launcher units with 32 XM31 unitary high explosive pods making the Singapore Armed Forces the first HIMARS operator outfitted entirely with GPS guided MLRS.

Himars of Delta Battery, 2nd Bn, 14th Marine Regiment
assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force gets ready to fire
during Ex Ssang Yong 14, South Korea. Photo via Wikicommons

 

As above, Himars fires reduced range practice rounds. Photo via wikicommons

 

 

As above, the aftermath. Why you should avoid firing MLRS
 near vegetation and how every MLRS artillery corpsman
 had better be expert firefighters. Photo via wikicommons 

 

  

HIMARS vs ASTROS II

So in a head to head duel, which system will prevail?

There are plenty of similarities between the two MLRS. Some common features include :

Battle proven systems adopted by several countries

Wheeled chassis mounting for high mobility
Air portable by the C-130 Hercules / Embraer KC-390 or equivalent tactical transport planes
All-weather day and night capability
High volume of fire effective against area targets
Short ripple time reduces shoot to scoot interval

The ASTROS II's modular nature allows for rockets of different calibre to be deployed according to target type and range, in contrast to the HIMARS which fires rockets of fixed calibre, not counting the ATACM tactical missile.

The unmatched advantage of the M-142 HIMARS over the ASTROS II is the availability of GPS guided rockets. The GMLRS has a range of up to 70km and an improved version the GMLRS+ up to 120km. GPS guidance significantly increases the accuracy of the rocket and for the unitary version reduces collateral damage and civilian casualties. GMLRS has been nick named the 70km sniper for this long range precision capability.

At the end of the day, one must realise that the ASTROS II is an older system dating from 1983 and fires unguided rockets, though it is still a formidable artillery system at this day and age and should not be underestimated in anyway.

Until the ASTROS 2020 upgrade is completed and the system acquires the capability to fire the precision strike missile AV/MT-300 which has a range of 300km and a payload of 200kg not unlike the ATACM, I would consider the HIMARS a more advanced system.

Update

Seems like 2016 is upon us and the world has moved on. The Avibras ASTROS 2020, sometimes known as the ASTROS III, is now a reality with the Brazilian Army. Unless otherwise stated, all ASTROS 2020 photos below were taken in June 2014 by Jorge Cardoso via Wikicommons.



 




 

Malaysia's Submarine Woes



 

 

 

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK are also known as the Perdana Menteri ( Prime Minister ) class. Photo : LIMA 

 







 

 Keeping Up With The Joneses?

Ever since Singapore's acquisition of the Challenger-class ( Ex-Sjoormen-class SSK ) diesel-electric submarines from Sweden beginning in 1995, Malaysia has been dying to lay her hands on a couple of submarines too. It might have something to do with the fact that Malaysia does not want to be seen to be inferior in terms of military hardware and capability compared to her much much smaller but far richer neighbour Singapore. But really, to be beaten to anything by a tiny nation which one had evicted out of the Federation ( of Malaysia ) 45 years ago can be very hard to palate if not down right humiliating, especially with an ego as big as Malaysia's.

Need For Submarine

To be fair, Malaysia does have very long coastlines and many islands and maritime interests to patrol and protect. The Straits of Malacca on the west coast is one of the world's busiest sea lanes and a pirate hotspot. There are disputes with Indonesia over gas fields in the Anambas Islands and sovereign issues over the diving paradise Sipadan Island. Submarines will definitely be a valuable asset to any navy required to oversee all that territorial waters. In fact, one can argue that two submarines can hardly be considered adequate to patrol such a large expanse of ocean, even when manned by competent submariners.

Money, The Root Of All Evil

The main reason for the near decade delay in Malaysia's submarine buy was insufficient funds. Well, maybe I have to qualify by saying insufficient to pay for the arms and at the same time fill the pockets of middlemen, admirals and politicians. You see, Malaysia has one of the oddest way to purchase military weapons. It has to go through middlemen from state approved companies. These middlemen are usually good-for-nothing cronies of powerful politicians who earn millions of dollars in commission in each arms deal.

So instead of getting the best weapons platform for the country, the typical deal would go to the supplier would pays the most bribes.

The Scorpene Deal

The submarine contract was awarded in a non-competitive tender to DCNS of France in 2002, for two Scorpene diesel-electric submarines plus one refurbished Agosta-B submarine for training purposes. The total cost of the contract was estimated to be worth USD972 million or MYR3.68 billion ( MYR = Malaysian Ringgit ) . The boats were to be partially constructed by DCNS in France and partially by DCNS's now estranged Spanish partner Navantia.

From the Malaysian side, negotiations were made through a company known as Perimekar Sdn. Bhd., for which it was paid a commission of €114.96 million, approximately 11% of the purchase price of the submarines. Interestingly, this commission was paid by the buyer, the Malaysian government, and not the seller, DCNS/Navantia. Was the Defence Ministry so inept that it cannot even carry out a tender evaluation and perform its own negotiations??

Officially, the Defence Ministry stated that the money was paid to Perimekar Sdn. Bhd. for providing " support and coordinating services " over a period of 6 years. But what services can a civilian company provide that the Defence Ministry cannot provide for itself?

Now Perimekar, as far as anyone knew, is a subsidiary of another company KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd., which is wholly owned by a well connected political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda. In fact Baginda is a close friend ( read crony ) of the then Minister for Defence ( now Prime Minister cum Defence Minister ) Najib Razak. The problem was, both Perimekar and Ombak Laut do not seem to have any expertise in the area of defence equipment. So one wonders how on earth they could provide any form of support and coordination services to the Defence Ministry.




Malaysia's Scorpene submarine KD Tunku Abdul Razak arriving at the naval Base at Klang, 3rd Sep 2009. Source : Wikipedia.

More Scandals

To make matters worse, Abdul Razak Baginda was charged with abetting the murder of his assistant and lover, the French and Russian speaking Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaaribuu who was directly involved in the negotiations for the Scorpenes and the Sukhoi Su-30MKM multi-role fighters. Altantuya allegedly tried to blackmail Baginda for US$500000 but was murdered by members of the Police anti-terrorism special unit and her body was blown into bits by C-4 explosives, probably from the Police arsenal. Welcome to Bolehland, the country where the police can be instruments of murder and where the majority Bumiputera population needs and receives special privileges and protection from the minority races. The scandal itself can be the basis for many independent blog entries but I digress.

The Scorpene SSK

The Scorpene is a conventional diesel-electric hunter-killer submarine or SSK. Nuclear powered hunter-killers are designated SSN. It is a joint project by the French and Spaniards. It comes in three flavours - Basic, Basic-AIP and Compact. It can be fitted with the MESMA (Module d'Energie Sous-Marine Autonome ) air-independent propulsion system ( AIP ) to increase the underwater endurance of the submarine. The ones selected by Malaysia are the Basic versions and do not have air-independent propulsion technology incorporated in them. They are still quiet and capable contemporary designs despite the lack of AIP and are armed with 6 533mm bow torpedo tubes with 18 torpedoes or 30 mines and the submarine launched SM39 Exocet anti-ship missile.
According to Wikipedia, the MESMA system costs US$50-60 million each. Now if only the Malaysian politicians were an honest bunch and did not try to pocket the €114.96 million ( currently equivalent to US$158 million ), the Royal Malaysian Navy could have had 2 Scorpene Basic-AIPs PLUS a spare MESMA engine!!!!

Imagine what two new build AIP Scorpenes could do. They would probably thrash the 2 Singapore Navy rebuilds, the Archer Class AIP submarines. In case you did not know, the Archer Class of the RSN started life as the Vastergotland Class SSK of the Royal Swedish Navy. They were non-AIP and had to be literally cut into two and then lengthened mid-ship to accommodate the Stirling AIP engine during refurbishment. I am not even certain if the Singaporean submarines have the sub-Harpoon anti-ship missiles, but it is highly unlikely. But Nooooooooo .... 3 MESMA engines stolen from under the noses of the RMN, not a surprise at all after news broke out that 2 spare F-5 Tiger II jet engines worth RM50million each were smuggled out of a RMAF base and were sold to some South American Banana Republic now thought to be Uruguay.

From the pages of DCNS's Scorpene 2000 brochure.

Defects! Defects! Defects!

The first Scorpene, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, was delivered to Malaysia in 2009. It has been reported that shortly after the welcoming ceremony at Port Klang on 3rd Sep 09, defects have already been discovered. Some of these have been played down by Royal Malaysian Navy Chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar as "teething problems" and included a defect in the submarine's Forward Sea Water Cooling System ( discovered on 17th Dec 09 ) and the High Pressure Air Blowing System ( detected on 17th Jan 10). Teething or not these defects have prevented the brand new submarine from diving for the past three months until they have been recently rectified by DCNS. They have forced the RMN to delay the tropical waters sea trials of KD Tunku Abdul Rahman which were originally scheduled to be completed in Jan 2010. This will also delay the achievement of IOC ( Initial Operational Capability ). DCNS even had to extend the warranty which was due to expire in Jan 2010 as a result. The delivery of the second Scorpene KD Tun Abdul Razak has also been postponed by a few months presumably as a result of the defects discovered in the first Scorpene.

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK underway. Source : LIMA

Lack Of Submarine Rescue Capability

In addition to all those high profile teething problems highlighted by the media, the RMN has another less obvious woe - lack of a submarine rescue vessel with a DSRV. DSRV is the abbreviation for Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle - a sort of mini-submarine capable of docking with a downed submarine underwater and off-load the trapped sailors. The DSRV type vehicle is usually small and portable and can usually be air-lifted if necessary. They should be standard inventory for any modern Navy with a submarine force.

Typical of any Malaysian venture which tends to be executed without much careful long term planning or sensible calculations, the procurement of the most modern submarines came without the consideration for submarine rescue capabilities. Total cost of ownership? What's that? Economy of Scale?? Never heard before. Insurance ? Hedging?? For what Ahhh??

Maybe that was the real reason why the KD Tunku Abdul Raman cannot dive after just "teething problems" affecting the high pressure air blowing system - if the submarine cannot surface after a dive, the RMN will have no choice but to beg the RSN to save their submariners, since the RSN is the only regional navy with a submarine rescue ship and submersible rescue vehicle. Something which the Malaysians would loath to do. It is all about "Face".

Final Words

Malaysia finally acquired a modern submarine force, after a prolonged period of delay. However, the choice of the platform is less capable than what could have been possible if not for unscrupulous channeling of funds into the hands of private companies and individuals. The non-competitive nature of the tender could also mean that Malaysia probably paid much more for the submarines when it could have been cheaper in an open tender. The lack of Air-Independent Propulsion and Submarine Rescue Capabilities could well be the Achilles' Heel of Malaysia's Silent Service. The imminent introduction of RSN's Sikorsky S-70B anti-submarine helicopters onboard the RSS Formidable-class stealth frigates would make life even harder for the Malaysian submariners in the near future.

Malaysia's Scorpene SSK and the visiting Los Angeles-class nuclear submarine SSN-721 Jacksonville at Sepanggar Naval Base, Sabah, 2010. Photo : RMN / USN