BUTTERWORTH: FROM where we were, we could see it all — aircraft hangars, the control tower, aircraft dispersal areas with two Royal Australian Air Force P-3C Orions and two Nuri helicopters parked next to each other, the Alert 5 hangar, and aircraft shelters with several F/A-18D Hornets and British Aerospace Hawks inside.
Over four days, the New Straits Times Probes Team surveyed the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here for gaps and chinks in security.
The lapses in security that we found at the airbase, which the RMAF categorises as its main facility, were shocking.
Housing developments on the periphery of one of the nation’s most sensitive military installations present a serious security risk.
Houses built inches away from the base perimeter wall provide ideal firing positions for terrorists to launch a coordinated attack.
Multi-storey homes on opposite sides of the runway give a clear and unobstructed view of targets, including the ammunition storage dump, and of military aircraft taking off and landing.
A portion of land at the end of the base’s runway has also been encroached on by squatters.
In some instances, the runway
approach lights sit right in the squatters’ backyard.
The lights jut out in between 23 makeshift houses and 17 illegal workshops, factories and storage units. Structures have been built around a series of light bars and strobe lights, some of which stand as tall as the approach lights.
It is understood the encroached land and approach light belongs to the RMAF. The lights allows pilots to see the runway and align their aircraft upon arriving at a prescribed point. This approach lighting system is designed to enhance the safety of aircraft operations, particularly in conditions of reduced visibility.
RMAF insiders spoke to the NST to voice their concerns over the encroachment, which they said affects operational security and puts their lives at risk.
“These buildings clearly are a threat to the military establishment,” said a pilot, call sign “Poohbear”.
Another concern was that the airbase often plays host to a number of air forces and is almost always the staging point for large-scale air exercises. These include the Five-Power Defence Agreement exercises and Cope Taufan. With these come top-secret, highly-classified assets, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.
Squadron leader and commanding officer of 92 Wing Detachment of the Royal Australian Air Force, Sam Barnes, was shown photos of two P-3C Orions taken from outside the base. When he finally managed to speak, his tone was hushed and subdued.
“Where were these taken? I’ll take this up with Canberra,” was all he said.
Granted, the current array of “standoff” and “smart” weapons available precludes having to get up close to the targets, but the ability to get real-time intel and eyes-on-target analysis is still crucial in firming up any battle plans.
The unfettered development at the periphery of the airbase also contravenes International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations, which spell out a clear
safety buffer zone.
The Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) is the local authority with jurisdiction over developments in the area, but said it should not be held solely responsible if there are suggestions that structures surrounding the airbase pose a serious threat to the base.
This, MPSP president Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif said, is because during its bi-monthly One-Stop Centre programme meetings, nobody voiced their concerns when the projects were discussed.
“It would be unfair to blame us as there were many parties, including from the air force itself, who are part of the group. There are 22 people sitting in the meetings, including technical and planning department experts, engineers, the Public Works Department and RMAF itself.
“The projects (around the airbase) would have been referred to the RMAF and they had the chance to vet it before giving the nod... If they had any reservations, the developer would have been advised,” said Maimunah, who is also chairman of the approving committee.
She added that the council had never heard of any concerns pertaining to high-rise buildings in the area during the meetings.
Maimunah said housing developments surrounding the airbase had complied with the local authority’s rules and regulations.
“Of course, the local authority is the approving body, but everyone has had a fair say prior, so if anything happens, it will be unfair for the council to be solely blamed,” she said at her office.
There have been calls for the airbase to be relocated 16km east of its current location in Ara Kuda.
Air Force chief Tan Sri Roslan Saad categorically denies Maimunah’s claims, saying the RMAF had, on many occasions, registered its objection to the council and state government.
“The base has been there for decades and structures have been built around it over the years. The airbase needs a buffer zone.”
The Department of Civil Aviation, in a document the NST team saw, had also voiced concerns over the squatters’ encroachment. It cautions that surrounding structures, including those built by squatters at the end of the runway, could pose a safety and security threat.
The NST had also been made to understand that the RMAF is not totally opposed to the idea of relocating but had listed more than 10 conditions if it were to happen.
These included the realignment of electric cables that passed through the northern region of the new site that could interfere with operations of aircraft placement.
Several hills in the new area, namely Bukit Batu and Bukit Seraya, also needed to be lowered to a safe level for aircraft to land.
It is understood that before any relocation is initiated, the RMAF wants an undertaking from the local authorities to take control of a 15km radius at the site to curb new developments and comply with ICAO requirements.