Page 39 - ADT MAY / JULY 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

COMBAT CAPABLE

Southeast Asian airforces have dramatically

upgraded their combat capability

By YULIAN ARDIANSYAH
A midst escalating strategic jet squadrons, others are still in is also in a state of disrepair. There

the process of rebuilding their air
was an attempt in the 1990s to
rivalry between China
power, while a few do not possess
and the United States,
combat aircraft to the MiG-21 2000
Southeast Asian nations are striving this capability at all. upgrade 14 of these Cold War-era
to enhance defence capabilities standard with Israeli assistance,
while navigating the intricacies of Cambodia: but the project was apparently
the region’s polarised political and cancelled after a few were report-
security environment. This has The Royal Cambodian Air Force edly completed, with some even
resulted in the patchwork of align- (RCAF) has not undertaken a rumoured to have been sold to
ment towards either of these two programme in recent years similar Namibia.
superpower countries. to those of several other coun-
tries in the region to enhance its In 2019, the then prime minister
This is evident when examining strength, likely due to economic of Cambodia, Hun Sen said that
the defence capabilities deployed considerations. The service has that the Southeast Asian country
by each country in the region. acquired six Aero L-39C Albatros was looking to acquire up to four
Specifically, in terms of air power trainer/light combat jets from the additional L-39 aircraft for its air
and combat-capable jet aircraft, Czech Republic via Israel in 1996, force. While it appeared that he
there are significant discrepan- but these aircraft are now in urgent was interested in the L-39NG (Next
cies due to various factors: while need of repair and upgrade. Generation) variant rather than the
many Southeast Asian nations old L-39Cs, there has been no visi-
already operate multiple combat RCAF’s fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets ble progress in this matter.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY MAY - JULY 2024 | 39