Looking At Army’ Nuri Replacement and the Proposed Leasing Options

23 Juni 2020

In a short run, the Army should look at the possibility of leasing four Mil Mi-8/17 (NATO Reporting Name: Hip) helicopters (photo : Fahmun)

When the 882nd Regiment of the Malaysian Army Aviation Force (Pasukan Udara Tentera Darat – PUTD) was officially established on March 2015, it was supposed to operate 12 Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopters with standard configurations such as limited digital flight instruments including GPS and the famous nose one that houses the Doppler radar.

To distinguish the Army and Air Force’s Nuris, the former has adopted  two pixelleted digital pattern colour schemes worn by all four helicopters that were handed over by the latter.

Despite the Army Aviators have proved their capabilities of operating such helicopters without any serious incidents in the short operational span of five years, eventually they too had to relent and retire the Nuris by January 2020.

Rej 882 PUTD currently does not have any helicopters to fly with but there has been plan to lease four helicopters as replacements to the veteran Nuris.

To make things worst, while no immediate replacement are in sight, the country was hit by coronavirus pandemic outbreak which prompted the Government to enforce Movement Control Order (MCO) to break the chain of infection.

MCO has put the Army on immense operational strain as it has to deploy its troops nationwide to participate in Ops Penawar (by enforcing the Enhanced MCO as well as manning the road blocks)  and Ops Benteng, where the existing border protection operations such as Ops Merpati, Ops PASIR, Ops Sanggah and Ops Kota were integrated to ensure no importation infection of the coronavirus could happen due to smuggling of illegal immigrants from virus hit countries.

Kazan Helicopter Plant (KHP) Mi-172 civil version helicopter (photo : Huy Do)

In Sarawak, the Army had to rely on the two Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) EC-135 helicopters operated by State owned Hornbill Skyways to carry much needed aids and reliefs to people in the remote areas.

In Peninsular Malaysia, transport operations were assumed by the 881st Regiment with their AgustaWestland A-109LUH light utility helicopter in place of the retired Nuri. During a recent high level visit to the border, the regiment’s Agusta were deployed simultaneously to fly in the Chief of the Army, his commanders as well as members of the delegation to Banding Lake in Perak near to the Thai border.

Such task was usually undertaken by Rej 882’s Nuri in one flight using a single helicopter, rather than multiple helicopters with multiple flights.

In a short run, the Army should look at the possibility of leasing four Mil Mi-8/17 (NATO Reporting Name: Hip) helicopters. With similar capacity and capability like the Nuris, the Mi-17s would not only able to perform effective troop lift and resupply mission but also special operations and heliborne air assault operations in support of the GGK commandos and the paratroopers from the 10th Parachute Brigade.

Last December 2018, the Army was offered with KHP built Russian Helicopters Mi-172 helicopters. Despite the lack of ramp door, the Mi-172 is able to assume all the roles left behind by the Nuris.

But the Mi-172 is a civilian helicopter hence would only be able to be used in non combat operations such as SAR, MEDEVAC/CASEVAC, RESUP, trooplift, VIP support and HADR operations. Then again, having able to regain these capabilities would be much appreciated by the Army especially in the aftermath of MCO and coronavirus outbreak.

(MFH)