THE lack of operational funding has resulted in the low serviceability rate plaguing the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s fleet of Su-30MKM Super Flankers.
Air Force chief Tan Sri General Affendi Buang added that the problem was exacerbated by the fact that 12 airframes needed to undergo the mandatory major maintenance check as the jets entered their 10th year of service.
Affendi said since 2007, the annual operational budget allocated for the RMAF was nowhere near the amount needed by the air force to effectively manage and maintain its assets.
“This has been verified by the National Audit Department, based on its 2017 audit. The lack of funds directly impacted the maintenance and serviceability rate of our Su-30MKMs,” he told the New Straits Times.
As a result, the air force has had to adopt a more prudent approach to maintenance, based on the operational budget available.
Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu recently revealed that only four Super Flankers were operational. The RMAF acquired 18 examples of the highly-capable multirole fighters, equipping No 11 Squadron, based in Gong Kedak, Terengganu. The first batch of six aircraft arrived in 2007, and deliveries were completed in 2009.
“Every one of these Sukhois requires a full, mandatory check as they enter their 10th year of service. This covers everything – from the airframe, avionics, engines, components and flight control systems. This is to ensure that the aircraft are airworthy and that the jets are safe to operate.
“Sukhoi, the original equipment manufacturer, suggested that the maintenance check be implemented in phases, but this was cost-prohibitive.
“The OEM also needed a considerable ‘spool-up’ time to define the scope of work for these jets as our Su-30MKMs are the latest variant of the ‘Flanker’. This would mark the first time that this particular variant is put through this process.”
Affendi added that the work required the aircraft to be sent back to Russia, resulting in additional costs and a longer down-time.
“The high cost of the programme, the scope of work that had not yet been fully defined, and the need for the OEM to conduct the work in Russia, forced the air force to look for alternative solutions.”
Affendi said the air force began exploring other options, including the possibility of working ‘in-country’ through smart partnerships with local maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisations and aerospace industry players.
“An Su-30MKM was used as a testbed to validate the programme. We found that we could do it at a fraction of the original cost. It also reduced our dependence on the Russian OEM.”
Affendi was confident that this option would enable the air force to follow through with its maintenance programme, within the budget allocated by the government.
“We are fine-tuning our requirements for the programme, but I have to say that we are severely constrained by our very tight annual operational budget.
“Also, the research and development phase for this programme takes time. And in that time, 12 Su-30MKMs would have reached their 10-year life cycle and would have to undergo this process.
“This means that we will only have six aircraft operational,” said Affendi.
“We badly need a bigger budget to carry out this programme and to ensure that the Su-30MKMs are at optimal readiness.”