RMAF Anka-S logs 232.7 flight hours since deployment

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) Anka-S Medium-Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (MALE UAS) has logged 232.7 flight hours as of Sept 22.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the hours covered test flights, training, competency development, maintenance-related activities and ground system testing.

"The Anka-S operated at Labuan Air Base is an important asset in strengthening the country's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) capabilities," he said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.

Khaled said the deployment was in line with the Defence White Paper and the RMAF Capability Development Plan 2055 (CAP55).

He said the Anka-S could conduct surveillance for almost 24 hours, day and night, in various weather conditions.

"With this capability, Anka-S supports ISR and MDA through continuous information gathering to detect, identify and track maritime activities," he said.

Khaled was responding to a question from Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat), who asked about the operational readiness of the MALE UAS Anka-S stationed in Labuan.

He also inquired about its flight hours, surveillance coverage and effectiveness in improving maritime domain awareness in the South China Sea and Sabah waters.

However, Khaled said details on its surveillance coverage and effectiveness could not be disclosed as they involved sensitive operational information and the country's defence capabilities.