INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the IndianNavy and was designed & built in India. Launched in 2006 and commissioned in 2014, it significantly advances the Indian Navy’s surface warfare capabilities. The ship is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including the BrahMos missiles (being test-fired above) and advanced radar systems. Image source: Naval News
RMN has a difficult mission to perform which is to protect Malaysia‘s maritime interest and protect almost 4,700 kilometers of coastline from any unwanted intrusions. And yet, its fleet is insufficient and aging compared to a small country like Singapore where it only has a coastline of 200 kilometers to protect and has a very modern, capable fleet. Image source: Wikipedia
Any country that has a vast shoreline to patrol like Malaysia should have a large fleet of dedicated medium and long-range maritime patrolaircraft that is capable of performing hours of patrolling and can perform secondary missions like search & rescue and anti-submarine warfare. Presently this role is being taken with some modifications by the Indonesia-made CN-235transport plane. Image source: Wikipedia.
Presently KD Jebat and KD Lekiu are the most capable frigate ships in the Royal Malaysian Navy‘s fleet with Exocet Block 2 SSM and Sea Wolf SAM and are due to be complemented by the new 6 Maharaja Lela class frigates under the Littoral Coastal Ship Program. Image source: Wikipedia
As China and other countries in the region keep upgrading their military defence and offence assets such as this Sukhoi-30-based dedicated electronic warfare fighter (known as Shenyang J-16D), Malaysia needs to ensure that its existing defence assets are upgraded in par to keep up its effectiveness and also work with other countries like India who are facing the same threats. Image source: Defense News
The RMN operates one of the more reliable and known anti-ship missiles, the French made Exocet anti-ship missiles starting off with the MM38 version and now operating the newer MM40 Block 2 and SM39 on their 2 submarines. MM38 has a range of 40 kilometres whilst MM40 Block 2 has a range of 72 kilometres. Image source: Naval Analyses.
When it comes to the air force’s mainstream inventory, one would often fancy their latest lineup of the latest jet fighters and perhaps their heavily armed & armoured attack helicopters but no one talks about the workhorse of the air force, the transport carriers.
The 620++ pages analyses in the detail the British High Command’s decisions and blunders that caused the fall of Singapore causing almost 85,000 Allied soldiers to be captured as prisoners of war.
A couple of news in the last few weeks has been rather unsettling especially in relation to Rohingyas who had always made Malaysia their desired country to run to after leaving the refugee camp in Bangladesh. Infographic source: Anadolu Agency
Now it looks like they have found another place to stop over before making their run to Malaysia where there is a bigger crowd of them making trouble.
(The potential flashpoint for the next regional war is in the South China Sea where in recent years, the ChineseGovernment has been very aggressively building naval bases complete with missile launch silos, gun emplacements, radar stations, communications towers, runways for heavy bombers and helipads. Photo source: The Sun UK)
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Recently the Chinese Government sent 8 doctors to assist our Ministry of Health on the war to contain and improve the recovery from COVID-19 infections. Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah on April 10 said a team of medical professionals from China would be in Malaysia to lend a helping hand and look at the performance of Malaysia’s hospitals in handling the pandemic.
(The strategic role of a submarine to the nation’s maritime defence cannot be ignored but what makes it stink is the way these submarines were purchased and maintained. Image source: Flickr / US Navy)
(Herbert Kuppisch, the man destined to be the U Boat commander of the Penang’s German naval base. But was KIA when his boat (U-847) was sunk southwest of the Azores. Image source: www.uboataces)
