BERNAMA Malaysian News
:June 07 , 2003 13:02PM
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[u]AEW&C
Can Ward-Off Potential Pre-Emptive Strikes Against M'sia
By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa
[/u]
JOHOR BAHARU, June 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia should speedily put in
place an Aircraft Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system in
view of the"pre-emptive strikes doctrine" being advocated by
certain countries.
An editor with a regional defence and security magazine said, an
AEW&C platform would enable the country to better monitor its
airspace and ocean surface for the presence of aircraft, missiles,
ship and fixed targets.
"An AEW&C platform is like a flying radar which can detect
aircraft hundreds of miles from our shore. It provides better
control of airspace and detect any incoming aircraft or missiles at
an early stage."
"That alone represents an effective counter-measures against any
move to launch a pre-emptive strike," Asian Defence Journal's
Editor M.G Mahmud told Bernama when contacted.
During the recently concluded Asia Security Conference in
Singapore, Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill reignited the
controversy about pre-emptive strikes by saying that Canberra was
prepared to defy international law in order to protect its
citizens.
"There will be limited circumstances in which self defence will
require anticipatory action to pre-empt adversaries unleashing
massive destruction," he said.
Last week, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Chief Gen Abdullah
Ahmad said the country needed a minimum of four AEW&C aircraft
to bolster the surveillance of its airspace.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in replying to
Abdullah's comment on RMAF need for the AEW&C platform said,
the purchase of such aircraft needed a thorough study as it
involved huge financial commitments.
Mahmud said, the RMAF should already have the AEW&C in its
inventory as the system was essential for a modern air force.
He said ground-based radar could have its limitations as aircraft
flying at low levels close to the ground or "Nap-On-Earth" (NOE)
flight could evade detection.
"From an operating altitude of above 25,000 feet, an AEW&C
aircraft can extend the radar horizon by overcoming the
line-of-sight limitations imposed on ground-based and shipboard
radar systems," he said.
Meanwhile a defence analyst Prasun Sengupta said, there was a
genuine requirement for the RMAF to acquire AEW&C especially to
enhance its battle management system and airspace control.
The air force he said, was in the midst of assessing several types
of AEW&C with the EMB-145 "Erieye" expected to come out as the
main contender for the government contract.
Other contenders for the RMAF's requirement are Boeing 737-700,
Saab 2000 and Northrop Grumman's E-2C Hawkeye. In the Southeast
Asian region, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) remained
the sole armed force with the AEW&C platform with four
American-made E-2C Hawkeye acting as her eyes in the sky.
Prasun said, the 18 Sukhoi SU-30MKM which would be purchased by
Malaysia could also act as an AEW&C platform as its passive
phased-array radar could detect enemy aircraft some 320km away.
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