U.S. Ambassador Edgard D. Kagan joined General Asghar Khan, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, to commemorate the conversion of three Royal Malaysian Air Force transport aircraft CN-235 into Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) on June 27 at Subang Air Force Base. U.S-Malaysia security cooperation includes eleven bilateral and five multilateral defense exercises, the most Malaysia has with any country, which enhance Malaysian defense readiness, strengthen multinational relationships, and demonstrate U.S. resolve to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. Between 2019-2023, the U.S. provided more than $240 million in total security assistance.
The conversion program, which began in 2018 and totaled approximately $60 million U.S. dollars under the Maritime Security Initiative, served as the first major U.S. security grant program in Malaysia. The effort was facilitated by the U.S. Navy’s Building Partner Capacity program, aligned with the U.S. government’s Maritime Security Initiative, which is intended to assist the Malaysian government in increasing maritime security and maritime domain awareness within the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone. The project to integrate an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) upgrade into the aircraft was undertaken by the RMAF and NAWCAD AIRWorks.
The CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engine transport aircraft originally manufactured by Indonesian aerospace company Perseroan Terbatas Dirgantara Indonesia and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA of Spain. The project’s CN-235s were flown to Indonesia for completion and testing in Sept. 2020 amid COVID-19 restrictions and first flight took place in Oct. 2021. Work on the two remaining CN-235 aircraft and multiple ground stations continues and completed in 2022 The CN-235s are now enhanced with maritime surveillance radars, electro-optical infrared turrets, beyond line-of sight communications and roll-on/roll-off system operator stations. The aircraft are attached to Squadron 1 at Kuching Airbase in Sarawak.
The upgrade includes a maritime surveillance mission suite, maritime surveillance radar, an electro-optical infrared turret, line-of-sight datalink and a roll-on/roll-off mission system operator station. Compatible mobile and fixed ground stations are also being delivered to increase the RMAF’s ISR capability. Building Partner Capacity programs represent the highest level of return on engagement to the United States. The Malaysian CN-235 program will be a significant force multiplier to an indigenous Malaysian ISR capability and will directly support joint Malaysian and U.S. efforts to ensure global security in the Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility
