BUTTERWORTH – The Hawk 108 military aircraft, which crash-landed at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) air base here last night, taking the life of a pilot, is one of the oldest fighter trainer jets in the country.
It began active flight status in 1996 and is part of the RMAF’s squadron of trainer jets.
It was reported that RMAF had purchased 28 Hawk fighter jets in 1990 from the United Kingdom and the aircrafts were delivered by 1996.
The Hawk is built by Britain’s BAE Systems. The air force has two types of Hawk aircraft, the 108 which is used for training, and the advanced version of the 108, the Hawk 208, which is an air combat aircraft.
The Hawk 208 is used in active combat missions. There are believed to be 13 planes of this model, which are deployed in various air bases throughout Malaysia.
The Hawks have a maximum speed of Mach 1.2 (1,481km per hour) at maximum altitude or 1,037km per hour at sea level and a combat range of 617km.
During the infamous armed incursion by south Philippine militants at Lahad Datu, Sabah in 2013, five Hawk fighter jets and three Boeing F/A 18D Hornets conducted strikes on the terrorists’ hideouts.
The body of the pilot who perished in the crash last night, Mohamed Affendi Bustamy, 31, has been transported to his hometown in Pahang for burial.
His co-pilot Mohd Fareez Omar was injured and is reported to be in stable condition at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
In the incident at 10.07pm last night, their aircraft was about to land on the Butterworth air base’s tarmac during night training when it skidded and crashed.
This is not the first accident involving a Hawk in Malaysia.
These are other instances as reported by Bernama:
June 18, 1996 – A Hawk 108 crashed while conducting training near the Butterworth RMAF air base. There were no casualties.
July 23, 1996 – A Hawk fighter jet crashed and exploded near the Labuan Airport. Both pilots survived.
September 10, 1998 – A pilot was killed when a Hawk 208 aircraft crashed in Kuala Betis, Gua Musang, about 200km from Kota Baru in Kelantan.
October 2, 2000 – A Hawk 108 skidded while landing at the Labuan RMAF air base while on flight training. The pilot survived.
December 18, 2003 – Two pilots perished when a Hawk 100 crashed in the waters off Pantai Sepat in Kuantan, Pahang.
June 23, 2005 – A Hawk 208 fighter jet crashed at the Labuan RMAF air base killing its pilot.
May 4, 2007 – A Hawk 208 crashed in the Kuantan RMAF air base in Pahang. The pilot survived.
June 15, 2017 – A Hawk 108 crashed north of Kuantan, near the Pahang-Terengganu border after losing contact at 11.30am. Two pilots were confirmed killed and their bodies were found in a forest swamp in Cukai, Terengganu.
Last month, RMAF closed the tender for its light combat aircraft and fighter lead‐in trainer programme valued at RM4 billion, half of which involved the counter trade of crude palm oil and related products – The Vibes, November 17, 2021
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