LANGKAWI, Mar 22 – The Minister of Defence, Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Onn officiated the fourth Airbus A400M military transport aircraft on behalf of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) at Tarmac, MIEC here this morning. Also present were the Chief of Air Force, General Dato’ Sri Affendi Buang RMAF.
The ceremony took place at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2017. Malaysia is the A400M’s first export customer outside of the original European launch nations. It has ordered four aircraft since 2005, and took delivery of its first at LIMA 2015.
The Head of Military Aircraft, Airbus Defence and Space, Fernando Alonso gave a plaque to the Minister to symbolise the official handover of the aircraft. He said with the delivery, the RMAF now has a fleet of four aircraft, and can start to fully benefit from the A400M’s unique capabilities.
“We look forward to seeing the aircraft in action the region, and will provide our full support as the RMAF expands its use of the A400M. The clear vision shown by the RMAF and Malaysia to be part of the A400M programme will start to bear fruit in the coming years, and I am convinced that they will be an example for the whole region,” said Fernando Alonso.
The occasion also saw the RMAF’s No 22 Squadron commemorate the completion of 2,000 flight hours on the A400M. To mark this milestone, Fernando Alonso presented a plaque to the Chief of Air Force and the Commanding Officer of No 22 Squadron, Colonel Masro Kaliwon RMAF. Three RMAF A400Ms performed a special fly-past at the opening ceremony of LIMA 2017 while one of the RMAF A400M is on static display throughout the show from 21 – 25 March 2017.
