UTILISE AIR POWER TO COMBAT NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS

LANGKAWI (Malaysia), 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 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 Monday. This year's LIMA begins
Tuesday 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) 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 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 weaponised.
-- BERNAMA