KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is currently in the process of procuring two Maritime Patrol Aircrafts (MPA) from Italy. These MPAs have the capability to detect submarines in the South China Sea, particularly in the Sabah region.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan explained that the long-range radar (LRR) located at the Labuan Naval Air Base is unable to detect submarines. Instead, it can only monitor the airspace, which is now being focused more towards the South China Sea because of recent activity.
“We are also in the process of acquiring another LRR, which has been approved by the National Security Council, to be placed in Pulau Layang-layang. This is because the radars in Labuan cannot cover that distance,” Mohamad said in response to a query from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) during the Dewan Rakyat sitting on Monday (Oct 30).
Furthermore, Mohamad mentioned that the Radar Coastal Surveillance System (CSS) has been deployed at 13 locations, encompassing the Kudat coast all the way to Tawau. This system is specifically used to monitor the east coast of Sabah.
“Recently, eight radars were upgraded on September 16 with the CSS 1206 radar. However, five AESA SPEXER 2000 CSS radars were damaged and deemed uneconomical to repair,” Mohamad added.
“All the CSS AESA SPEXER 2000 radar equipment has been removed for disposal. The ministry has also identified the necessity of filling the gaps in the area by procuring six new gap filler radars (five replacements and one additional),” he continued.
The minister stated that the total cost for acquiring these six radars is RM57 million, which will be obtained under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13 MP).- Bernama
