Only four of 18 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30MKM jet fighters owned by the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) “are able to fly well”, Malaysia’s defence minister Mohamad Sabu told Malaysia's parliament on Tuesday (July 31). He also announced that the RMAF will be retiring ten Russian Mikoyan MiG-29 jet fighters, leaving only four operational Russian jets in its entire inventory.

RMAF was unable to maintain the airworthiness of the jet fighters, said the defence minister.

The fourteen grounded Su-30MKM jets had been under repair by a contractor during the Barisan Nasional government, said Mohamad. The current government has terminated its contract with the contractor and the jet fighters will be maintained by a Malaysian contractor.

The contractor whose contract was terminated is presumed to be Sukhoi, the Russian aircraft maker. Sukhoi signed a US$100 million (S$136 million) contract with Malaysia's defence ministry in 2013 to maintain the Su-30MKM jets.

In spite of the shortage in operational jets, Mohamad said there is no cause to worry about the defence capability of the RMAF.

According to FlightGlobal, the RMAF still operates 13 British-made Hawk 108/208s and three American Boeing F/A-18Ds as combat aircraft. They were delivered respectively in 1994 and 1997.

A history of high cost of maintenance

The RMAF purchased the jet fighters in 2003 as part of a US$900 million (S$1.23 billion) contract. At the time, the Malaysian government was also offered by Boeing to purchase its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets. The offer was declined and 18 Su-30MKM jets were purchased instead.

Purchasing the Su-30MKM jet fighters was part of an agreement with the Russian government, who promised to bring a Malaysian astronaut to the International Space Station in return. The deal was part of the Angksawan space programme initiated by Mahathir Mohamad in his first prime-ministership. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian to go into space in 2007.

Russian jets' high cost of maintenance has long been a problem for the RMAF. Complaints of the MiG-29's high maintenance cost surfaced as early as 2009, and the Malaysian government contemplated selling all its MiG-29 jets. Malaysia had also considered seeking China's support to maintain and supply parts for its Su-30MKM fleet.

Despite costs being a problem nearly ten years ago, the Malaysian government decided to postpone the sell-off. Retired at the time, Mahathir criticised the phasing out of the MiG-29, calling it a waste of money.

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Top image by United States Navy via Wikimedia Commons.