The colour of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief General Affendi Buang’s beret was as bright as the blue of the cloudless sky above the air force base in Shah Alam.

On Wednesday, Affendi spent an afternoon with some 50 media personnel who were taken on board three RMAF helicopters for an aerial tour over the old Sungai Besi RMAF base, with a view of the majestic KLCC in the distance.

Two of the helicopters were RMAF’s Eurocopter EC725s while the third was the older and larger Nuri.

Apart from his army green RMAF jumpsuit, the Nuri pilot stood out, courtesy of a bright yellow ‘smiley face’ sticker on his helmet - perhaps a personal reminder to stay positive in the face of adversities in the skies they are trusted to protect.

At a special press conference earlier, Affendi unveiled the theme for the RMAF’s 60th anniversary celebrations, beginning today - “Air Power, The Pillar of Sovereignty”.

“The theme was chosen because it could be clearly understood by all RMAF personnel, that in order for us to be a solid force, we must be united towards achieving one mission,” he said at the press conference.

With 60 years of experience the air force has, Affendi revealed that RMAF has now charted its future up until the year 2055, with a comprehensive capabilities plan.

Among others, he said, the focus of the plan was to ensure that RMAF would have optimum capability to conduct joint operations with other branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces, be these emergency or non-emergency situations.

“Our emphasis is on the aspect of “Effect-Based Operation” and “Revolution Military Affairs”, which require the optimum use of assets that are in line with current technological developments as well as to achieve our operational outcomes in an efficient manner,” Affendi explained.

He said the plan was also drafted based on RMAF’s current assets, while projecting the needs for its future operations.

“This process requires a realistic approach.

“In our current situation, we know that there are budget constraints, but this is not unique to Malaysia because other countries are also facing similar constraints,” he said.

At the same time, Affendi conceded that budgetary constraints must be taken into account when it comes to acquisition of new military assets.

“If we can afford to buy, the next question we must ask is whether we can afford to spend according to our operational expenditure and to ensure that the assets are properly maintained,” he said.

Twenty years and above

This was on top of ensuring that all RMAF pilots are trained to the highest level of competency needed to operate the assets, he stressed.

“If a conflict arises, you can buy assets quite fast because it all depends on your financial resources.

“But if your pilots are not competent, if your pilot level of speciality is low, then you cannot train them overnight,” he pointed out.

As for RMAF’s current fleet of assets, Affendi identified the Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets as being among the ones aged below 20 years.

As for some of the older models, Affendi said their weapon systems and sensor equipment have been upgraded to meet current standards.

“Of course the Nuri (helicopters)... we all know that some are already 40 to 50 years old.

“Even though the components are still good, the production of spare parts is an issue,” said Affendi, who revealed that approximately 40 percent of RMAF’s assets are more than two decades in age.

Asked whether RMAF would retain the use of its Hawk fighter jets, Affendi said the two-seater British-made jets - first obtained in 1996 - were being used for general pilot training as well as to carry out air patrol along the South China Sea coastline in Sabah.

Other asset upgrades being carried out include improvements to RMAF’s defence radar as well as to its air traffic control radar, he added.

In managing its budget, Affendi also said certain programmes have been put on hold, pending clarifications over the latest amount allocated under Budget 2018 by the previous BN government.

"We hope that amount will change for the better (increase) but at the moment I can't give any comments," Affendi said when quizzed on the RMAF's latest budget in light of the new Pakatan Harapan government.

According to news reports, the previous BN government had, under Budget 2018, approved allocations for the acquisition of four maritime patrol aircraft units to be used along the South China Sea as well as in the Straits of Malacca.

Former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein Onn was previously quoted as saying that the allocation was a part of an overall RM14 billion budget for the Defence Ministry.