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| Malaysia's Su-30MKM |
International Military - The Su-30 MKM fighter jet belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) plays an important role in defending Malaysia's sovereignty. Malaysia has long been known to operate Su-30 MKM fighter jets purchased from Russia.
The Su-30 MKM fighter jet has advanced and capable capabilities. Therefore, the Su-30 MKM has been named one of the most advanced fighter jets in Southeast Asia.
Reporting from Defense View, Malaysia took delivery of its first Su-30MKM heavyweight fighter jet in 2006. These fighter jets will be used to replace the aging F-5E Tiger II jets previously supplied by the US. At the time, the Su 30MKM was the most advanced fighter jet Russia had ever exported.
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The Su-30MKM fighter jet is based on the Su-30MKI developed for the Indian Air Force but has slight changes to the avionics. In 2000, the Su-30MKM became one of the most capable fighter jets in the world, 18 of which were delivered to Malaysia providing great combat performance.
The Su-30MKM fighter jet is also equipped with a highly capable anti-ship missile system. The RMAF does not hide the type of anti-ship missile system carried by the Su-30MKM fighter. Even this fighter aircraft has exhibited anti-ship missiles at the Singapore Air Show a few years ago.
Reporting from Defense Security Asia, international defense observers who were present at the event were astonished to see the array of missiles carried by the RMAF's Su-30MKM. The Su-30MKM fighter jet is equipped with the Russian-made KH-31A supersonic anti-ship missile.
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The KH-31A missile can penetrate armor and has the ability to hit targets such as ships and patrol boats weighing up to 4,500 tons from a distance of 70 km.
According to the international arms market research agency, Malaysia is said to have up to 150 KH-31A anti-ship missiles as well as KH-31P anti-radiation missiles.
However, this has not been confirmed by the Malaysian Ministry of Defense or from the RMAF. The Su-30MKM fighter jet reportedly conducted a test-firing of the KH-31A missile in 2014 with an accurate target.
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The KH-31A is a missile developed by the Tactical Missiles Corporation. It is equipped with an active radar to detect its target and uses a sea-skimming approach to approach the target at Mach 2.7 after launching from an aircraft at Mach 3.5.
Recently, Russia reportedly offered Malaysia to upgrade its fighter jets. Russia has offered a new variant of the fighter jet to replace the aging Sukhoi Su-30MKM.
The fighter jet upgrades offered by Russia to Malaysia are aimed at improving the capabilities of the more capable Sukhoi. If agreed, the Su-30MKM fighter jet will later be upgraded to the Su-30SM2 or also called the Super Sukhoi.
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According to defense observers, the Su-30MKM variant used by the RMAF is recognized to be more capable than the Su-30 fighter jet used by other air forces in Southeast Asia.
If Malaysia upgrades to the Su-30SM2 variant, the RMAF's fighter jets will be even better able to handle any challenges and threats in the future.