Defence – Page 9 – SeaDemon Says

June 8, 2015

Hail The Playstation Pilots

Franklin slams on the brakes of his Truffade Adder, exits his car and gets into a lift (or elevator, depending on the part of the world you are from) all the way to the rooftop of a building in Los Santos where he boards a helicopter on the rooftop helipad. A simple press of the R2 button and he’s off into the air. He flies above the serene Mount Gordo without any problem, then lands the helicopter at the airfield in Sandy Shores before hijacking a Canis Mesa listening to East Los FM. That is how simple flying a helicopter is to some…especially on their Grand Theft Auto V game.

Franklin runs to a chopper - picture courtesy of Gametipcenter — Franklin runs to a chopper – picture courtesy of Gametipcenter

If only life is as simple as according to the whiners out there. Unfortunately, it is not.

Many whine and complain about the late response by the military, Fire and Rescue Services Department, police etc., to rescue stranded climbers on top of Mount Kinabalu after a M5.9 earthquake killed 19 climbers, trapped more than a hundred others, and damaged or destroyed buildings in Ranau, southeast of the mountain. An Australian climber even lambasted the Malaysian authorities to the world’s press. On Facebook, keyboard pilots echo the psychotic behaviour of the Australian climber, criticizing the so-called delay in response by the authorities.

So why can’t a Franklin just fly the helicopter to the peak of Mount Kinabalu? The only Franklin I knew who flew close to Mount Kinabalu was my squadmate, Lieutenant Gabriel Buja Joel RMAF, who rescued British SAS who got lost near the mountain in 1995. For that he was awarded the Air Force medal (Pingat Tentera Udara) and a medal from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2003, Gabriel was unfortunately killed near Lawas, by another mountain.

What am I getting at?

Mountain Waves Turbulence! It is the unseen nightmare that has brought down a number of airliners and helicopters, including late Gabriel’s, and damaged a whole bunch more worldwide. It is so violent and unforgiving that the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US had issued a specific instruction just for mountain flying. To safely fly above a mountain pass, a clearance of at least 2,000 feet above the highest pass an aircraft is to cross. On top of that, mountain flying is not recommended if the winds aloft are greater than 25 knots as potentially dangerous turbulence as well as strong up and down drafts are likely to occur. I will go deeper into this later.

On 10th January, 1964, a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber (tail number 61-023) had its vertical stabilizer (or tail if you want to) sheared off by mountain waves after flying above the Rocky Mountains at 14,000 feet.

B-52H Nr 61-023 without its vertical stabilizer on 10th January 1964 - courtesy of Talkingproud — B-52H Nr 61-023 without its vertical stabilizer on 10th January 1964 – courtesy of Talkingproud

On 9th December 1992, a DC-8 aircraft of the American International Airways had its Engine No.1 sheared off by mountain wave turbulence.

The DC-8 of the American International Airways that lost an engine - courtesy of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research — The DC-8 of the American International Airways that lost an engine – courtesy of University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Both aircraft and crew above were lucky to make it back alive. Others like Gabriel weren’t so lucky.

The late Gabriel )3rd row, right most) and the writer (3rd row, second from right) during a jungle warfare exercise in January 1988

Most of the time, those who frequently look at Mount Kinabalu from far could see streams of clouds occasionally envelope the mountain. Let me show you a photo taken from one of the rescue helicopters that attempted to land at Laban Rata:

Visibility from a rescue chopper headed towards Mount Kinabalu - courtesy of @ayaqjagung on Twitter — Visibility from a rescue chopper headed towards Mount Kinabalu – courtesy of @ayaqjagung on Twitter

The visibility can change drastically and in Alaska, many pilots and passengers have perished thinking the visibility would remain clear all the time.

But the weather was clear and the stranded climbers could see all the way down!

Did they watch what was above? Clear visibility also means high winds have pushed away the clouds. What you need to look above are those thin, long clouds that we who have our feet firmly planted on the ground and head that stays on our neck unlike those who suffer from psychosis call Lenticular clouds.

Lenticular clouds formation caused by mountain wave turbulence - courtesy of the City University of New York — Lenticular clouds formation caused by mountain wave turbulence – courtesy of the City University of New York

As you can see, beneath the lenticular clouds are what meteorologists call rotor – a turbulent horizontal vortex generated around the “troughs” of mountain wave activity. Rotors could either push an aircraft upwards, or slam it down to the ground as shown in the diagram below:

The effects of rotor turbulence on aircraft - courtesy of Flight Safety Australia — The effects of rotor turbulence on aircraft – courtesy of Flight Safety Australia

In the end, the helicopters did manage to get to Laban Rata to bring down bodies and some of the injured victims. Of course not to the instance wanted by the climbers.

Yes, the Kinabalu Park guides are the heroes in this most unfortunate tragedy. Why them and not the soldiers or pilots or firemen or the police? They are the ones with the best knowledge of the area. Even of some trails have been cut off, they would still be able to find their way up and down the mountain because they are most familiar with the area. I salute them, as I salute the other rescuers who have and still are risking their lives trying to bring down the stranded climbers as well as bodies of the victims.

So, stop whining and forget what you have watched on TV or in the movies. Life does not work like how the directors want you to believe. And helicopter flying is nothing like how Franklin does it in GTA V.

Let the professionals do their job!

May 27, 2015

The RMAF: 57 And One

For the residents of the town of Manik Urai in Kelantan, the image below taken late in December of 2014 will forever be etched inside their mind.

An RMAF PASKAU with essential supplies is lowered from an EC725 helicopter to a school in Manik Urai — An RMAF PASKAU with essential supplies is lowered from an EC725 helicopter onto a school in Manik Urai, Kelantan where hundreds of flood victims were trapped

From its humble beginning 57 years ago playing a supporting role in the war against insurgency, the Royal Malaysian Air Force has evolved into a force that is respected and also to be reckoned with. From the days of the Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer that was used for communications and support of ground operations, the RMAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKM multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) of today have been pitted against one of the best in the USAF’s arsenal: the F-22 Raptor. However, the image above brings us back to earth as to how the RMAF also is one with the people of the nation.

On the 1st of June this year, the RMAF will celebrate its 57th anniversary.

Promoting “We Are One” as this year’s anniversary celebration theme, RMAF Chief General Dato’ Sri Roslan bin Saad TUDM outlined the concept of the theme in a recent press conference as a culture to develop human capital; symbolises an image of the RMAF that is formidable, courageous and patriotic; incalculating a sense of belonging to the RMAF, and; responsible to the RMAF as an organisation. The transformation plan for the RMAF would include the consolidation of assets and organisation, strengthening the human resources, and optimisation of financial resources.

In order to achieve these objectives, General Roslan outlined six main items that need attention and accentuation. They are:

to increase the level of readiness
to develop human capital
strengthening of leadership and administration
strengthening of the organisational structure
increasing togetherness and colloborations
emphasis on safety and welfare

“We Are One” essentially means that within the RMAF every men and women will have equal opportunity to develop and progress free from prejudice towards their trade, race, and gender. This is to avoid resentments that may have surfaced in the past towards the general-duty pilots by other trades whereby posts belonging to “less-glamorous” trades were taken away and given to the more “glamorous” trades. This caused the RMAF to lose experienced officers, men and women over the years. In the context of the Malaysian Armed Forces the theme points to the complementary role the RMAF provides to other services, while in the national context the RMAF is one with the Malaysian people and the government in providing its assets in support of other government agencies as well as other external and international agencies in peacetime as well as in disaster-relief roles. The above picture as well as the roles played by the RMAF in providing medical evacuation for critical patients as well as the ferrying of the body of victims of the MH17 tragedy underscores the one-ness of the RMAF with the Malaysian people.

An RMAF Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29NUB flying alongside the C-130H the writer was in

On another development, the RMAF is still seeking to replace its Mig-29 Fulcrum fleet with another MRCA. In the meantime, the RMAF will see how best to ensure that the Mig-29s remain a potent force while waiting for the arrival of the next fleet of MRCAs. The recent arrival of the Airbus A400M Atlas to supplement the RMAF’s fleet of C-130H Hercules transport aircraft has allowed the RMAF to enhance its airlift capability from one that is tactical to a level that is strategic.

The first of four Airbus A400M Atlas arrived on the 14th March 2015 at the Subang Airbase

General Roslan also added that the public perception of the RMAF has been encouraging. The increase in the number of visits of the RMAF website; very good response in the application for jobs in the RMAF as well as for each of the intakes; attendance by the public at Open Days at the various air bases and at aerial shows are among the indicators of good public response towards the RMAF.

The Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, General Dato' Sri Roslan bin Saad TUDM at the recent RMAF's 57th Anniversary press conference — The Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, General Dato’ Sri Roslan bin Saad TUDM at the recent RMAF’s 57th Anniversary press conference

When asked about the recent arrests of IS symphatizers within the Malaysian Armed Forces, General Roslan informed that although it falls under the purview of the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters, the Royal Malaysian Air Force actively monitors its men and women for such characters and steps are in place to combat such threats within the organisation. The human capital development and the promotion of one-ness with the organisation are among the steps taken to ensure that the men and women of the RMAF continue to remain loyal not just to the RMAF, but also to the King an Country.

Programs lined up to celebrate the RMAF’s 57th anniversary include a blood donation program, a golf tournament, special prayers session for each religion for the men and women of the RMAF, while the 57th anniversary parade will be held at the Kuantan Air Base on 1st June 2015.

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015

TLDM Teruskan Operasi Mencari dan Menyelamat Pelarian Rohingya

Setelah menerima arahan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia mengerahkan lima buah aset permukaannya untuk memberi bantuan kepada pelarian Rohingya serta melakukan operasi mencari dan menyelamat selebih pelarian Rohingya yang masih berada di laut dan belum ditemui. Di dalam satu sidang akhbar yang telah diadakan petang tadi, Panglima Tentera Laut Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar TLDM menegaskan bahawa kelima-lima aset tersebut yang terdiri dari KD Mahawangsa, KD Selangor, KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin KD Ledang dan KD Jerai telah diarahkan untuk memberi bantuan sewajarnya seperti yang telah diarahkan oleh Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN).

KD Jerai, kapal penyapu ranjau TLDM yang turut serta dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk pelarian Rohingya - gambar TLDM — KD Jerai, kapal penyapu ranjau TLDM yang turut serta dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk pelarian Rohingya – gambar TLDM

Krisis pelarian Rohingya telah menyaksikan kematian beratus jika bukan beribu pelarian akibat pelayaran yang mengambil masa lebih tiga minggu untuk tiba di perairan Thailand, Malaysia dan Indonesia. Hanya Malaysia dan Indonesia sahaja yang telah memberi persetujuan untuk memberi perlindungan sementara kepada 7,000 orang pelarian, sementara Thailand akan menghentikan penundaan semula ke laut bot-bot yang membawa para pelarian tersebut. Menteri Luar, Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman menegaskan para pelarian tersebut perlu dihantar pulang dan diberi penempatan tetap dalam masa setahun dengan bantuan kewangan daripada masyarakat antarabangsa.

Bagi TLDM dan kerajaan Malaysia, ini bukanlah julung kali ianya terlibat dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk kaum Rohingya. Pada bulan September 2012, kerajaan telah menggunakan kapal KD Indera Sakti untuk menghantar sebanyak 480 tan barangan keperluan seperti makanan, ubat-ubatan serta keperluan harian lain melalui pelabuhan Sittwe, Myanmar.

March 15, 2015March 15, 2015

LIMA 2015 Begins With A Bang

Two days before the opening ceremony of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace 2015 (LIMA 2015), two KT-1B Wongbee aicraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force’s Jupiter Aerobatic Team clipped wings in what seemed to be an “opposing solo” maneuver and crashed off site, with one aircraft hitting the ground causing two houses to catch fire. All four pilots ejected safely.

The Yogyakarta-based team are here in Langkawi to perform at LIMA 2015 and were practising when the incident occured. All pilots are safe while no injury has been reported on the ground. The pilots were evacuated by a RMaF EC-725 and the Fire and Rescue Services Department’s Mi-172 helicopters.

This is the second incident involving aerobatic teams during practice for a LIMA series. In 1991, a RMAF Pilatus PC-7 from the Tamingsari aerobatics team crashed into the back of a house in Kepala Batas, Alor Setar, Kedah while performing a twinkle at the end of a “bomb burst” formation for the inaugural LIMA exhibition. The pilot died on the spot.

The aerial displays will carry on in spite of the incident.

Sources of photos: Twitter, Agendadaily and Berita Harian.

In a related development, the Defence Minister of Malaysia, Hishammuddin Hussein, and the Defence Minister of Indonesia, Gen (Rtd) Ryamizard Ryacudu, visited the pilots who are being treated at the Langkawi Hospital. Both Malaysia and Indonesia will conduct a joint investigation into the incident.

Source of photo: Malaysian Ministry of Defence

March 14, 2015

SAREX LIMA 2015 – The RMAF EC725

The survivor floats on the surface of the sea, having escaped a plane crash less than an hour ago. The current here is strong and he drifts farther away from the main group of survivors. Then he saw a speck of grey flying towards him. It was a Airbus Helicopter EC725 dubbed the Super Cougar, the new workhorse of the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

Inside the cockpit, the pilot could spot the lone survivor and a few others, drifting towards the open sea. Thanks to the AHCAS (Advanced Helicopter Cockpit and Avionics System), pilots of the EC725 could do what its predecessor, the Sikorsky S-61A4 Nuri, could not. The EC725 features a full glass cockpit and the Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays ensure the pilots better monitoring of the displays under the glaring late morning sun.

The pilot hovers over the drifting survivor. He is assisted by a digital search and rescue system that provides automatic search patterns, transition and hover. Unlike the Nuri, the EC725 could “drift” along with the survivor as the winch strop is lowered by the air quartermaster. Although the hover altitude is higher (more than double the Nuri’s), the EC725 managed to pick up the drifting survivor and other drifting survivors in no time, thanks to the powerful twin Turbomeca Makila 1A4 turboshaft engines that features a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) , something the Nuri was not capable of. The Nuri would have to fly away after a couple of pick ups to cool its engines off.

The above was the Water Search And Rescue portion of the Search and Rescue exercise (SAREX LIMA 15) in preparation for next week’s Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2015 (LIMA 2015). The exercise was divided into two segments, Water SAR and Land SAR. SAREX LIMA 15 was to test the Search and Rescue plan and inter-agencies coordination and logistical cooperation. The aim was to test, assess and improve the Airport Emergency Plan before the commencement of LIMA 2015. The Exercise was held from the 4th to 6th March 2015 and involved among others the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police, Royal Malaysian Navy, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, the Fire and Rescue Services Department, the Malaysian Marine Department, Ministry of Health, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, the Malaysian Army’s Royal Medical Corps, Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and last but not least, the Department of Civil Aviation of Malaysia. Assets that were involved included two helicopters, 11 surface vessels and four jet-skis.

The EC725 takes off carrying critically-injured survivors during SAREX LIMA 15

When met, RMAF’s Chief of Staff (Air Operations) Major General Dato Haji Abdul Mutalib bin Abdul Wahab TUDM said that he was awed by the superb performance of the EC725. He opined that the EC725 is by far the best search-and-rescue asset he has ever seen, given the capabilities it displayed during SAREX LIMA 15. This is of course of utmost importance as there are quarters bent on ridiculing military purchases. Seeing with my own eyes how the EC725 was able to hover effortlessly throughout the exercise brought much satisfaction to me knowing that this was the correct choice made by the RMAF and there should not be any politically-motivated condemnation towards the organisation for purchasing what it should have had for the longest time.

The Fire and Rescue Services Department should also be applauded for a superb medical evacuation exercise task performed at SAREX LIMA 15 using its Mi-171 helicopter.

The FRSD's Mi-171 takes off carrying three critically-injured survivors during SAREX LIMA 15 — The FRSD’s Mi-171 takes off carrying three critically-injured survivors during SAREX LIMA 15

It is hoped that the inter-agencies coordination that was put to test during SAREX LIMA 15 will better prepare the emergency services for any eventuality not just for LIMA 2015, but for all search-and-rescue incidents.