(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Malaysia has begin operating the long-range radar, Lockheed Martin’s AN/TPS-77 on Labuan Island, facing the South China Sea since December last year, Malaysia’s Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said yesterday.
He stated that the AN/TPS-77 long-range radar contributed by the United States under the “Building Partner Capacity” programme is intended to replace the Alenia radar, which had ceased its services due to its inability to achieve Full Mission Capability (FMC) optimally.
The decommissioned Alenia radar in Labuan had a capability of detecting aerial targets up to 250km away and at an altitude of 60,000 feet.
Adly emphasized that the new radar operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) Squadron 340 at Bukit Kubong, Labuan has significantly enhances the country’s defense.
The deputy defence minister highlighted that the Ministry of Defence remains committed to upgrading existing assets and introducing new technologies to meet the evolving defence needs of the country.
The deployment of the long-range radar provides the country with additional “eyes and ears” to monitor the airspace in the South China Sea region and detect any intrusion into the country’s airspace.
Adly made these remarks during his visit to several military bases in Sabah, including Semporna, Sepanggar, Lok Kawi, and the Federal Territory of Labuan, as reported by the national news agency, Bernama.
During the visit, Adly also inspected ongoing upgrade works at the Aerodrome in Kota Kinabalu Air Station and evaluated infrastructure on Layang-Layang Island, as well as the Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) at the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) base in Sepanggar.
In August last year, General Ken Wilsbach, Commander of United States Pacific Air Forces (US PACAF), conducted three-day official visit to Malaysia, which included a brief stopover to the AN/TPS-77 radar site at 340 Squadron Bukit Kubong in Labuan.
The AN/TPS-77 long-range radar is a contribution from the United States government.
In 2021, Defence Security Asia reported that the US Department of Defense awarded a contract worth US$25.1 million (RM103 million) to Lockheed Martin for supplying a long-range air defence radar to Malaysia.
The contract, awarded on September 24, 2021, specified that Lockheed Martin’s branch in Liverpool, New York, was granted the contract for the “Malaysia Ground Based Radar System.”
The funding for supplying the long-range radar to the Malaysian government was provided through the “Fiscal 2021 Building Partner Capacity Funds” by the US government.
The coverage of the AN/TPS-77 radar is approximately 470km or 250 nautical miles, and it is a mobile radar that can be transported to different areas using aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules, trucks, or trains. — DSA
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