DefenseNews reported that major procurement programmes for the Malaysian Armed Forces have mostly been put on hold.
It said this meant that badly needed fighters, trainers, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft would unlikely be acquired by the RMAF in the short to medium term.
This poses a problem as the RMAF, which is responsible for the air defence of both the peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak, will be spread thinner. The South China Sea separates the two landmasses which are 365 miles apart at the narrowest point.
With more kidnappings taking place off Sabah and Sarawak, the RMAF recently moved a squadron of BAE Hawk 108/208 light attack aircraft to eastern Malaysia.
Apart from the threat arising from lawlessness in the southern Philippines, from where kidnappers operate, this thinning of resources comes amid China’s aggressive stance on issues over disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Finance Minister Najib Razak allocated RM15.1 billion to the defence ministry under Budget 2017. Of this, RM1.8 billion is for asset defence maintenance such as aircraft, patrol vessels, communication equipment, buildings and weaponry.
The report said this amount represented a 13% drop from 2016’s budget. In real terms, defence spending is down to 2002 levels.
Noting the budget included about RM460 million to the RMAF for procurement, the report quoted Malaysian defence analyst Dzirhan Mahadzir as saying this would be used to pay for ongoing programmes rather than new acquisitions.
This includes the first delivery of an eventual total of six MD 530G armed scout helicopters planned for the end of the year.
However, upgrades to various RMAF platforms would continue, with contracts for upgrades to the Hawks, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules airlifters and Sikorsky S-61 Nuri helicopters expected to be signed this year, DefenseNews said.
Malaysia wants to purchase multi-role combat aircraft, or MRCA, to replace the survivors of 18 MiG-29N/NUB Fulcrums acquired in the mid-1990s.
But budgetary constraints, it said, had contributed to a stalling of the MRCA plan. DefenseNews said Malaysia needed more front-line fighters to be able to properly defend its airspace.