LANGKAWI, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Countries in the region should utilise the might of air power surveillance which has proven to be effective in combatting non-traditional threats, said defence minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said statistics from the "Eye in the Sky" (EiS) operation launched in 2005 to monitor the Straits of Malacca had shown a marked reduction in acts of piracy in the busy straits.
"It proves the point that the characteristics of air power can still be effective against non-traditional threats, and combined with proper coordination with civil agencies, can be a very formidable one," he said when launching the Air Chiefs Conference held in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition here today. This year's LIMA begins tomorrow and ends on Saturday.
The EiS operation was launched by Straits of Malacca's littoral states including Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia as a measure to safeguard the vital chokepoint from piracy or other crimes.
According to Zahid, non-traditional threats including piracy, illegal trafficking of goods, people and drugs as well as illegal fishing, could influence and shape maritime security.
These non-traditonal threats if left unchecked, he said, could be detrimental to good order at sea.
The Defence Minister said using cost effective Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a platform to conduct maritime surveillance should be the way forward for countries.
Speaking to reporters later, Zahid said several local companies including Sapura and Composite Technology Research Malaysia (CTRM) had designed and tested their own UAVs.
These locally-made UAVs, which could endure up to 20 hours of operation and be controlled within a radius of 200km, had been tested by the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) during "Ops Pasir" in eastern Sabah, he said.
As the locally-made UAVs were currently under testing, the government, he said, had no intention to buy them yet.
Meanwhile, ATM Chief Gen Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, who was also present during the media conference, said besides tactical ones, ATM was also looking to procure strategic UAVs, which can fly higher and longer also can be weaponized.
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