The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) are currently engaged in a nine-day bilateral exercise focused on search and rescue operations.
This annual event, known as the Search-and-Rescue Exercise (Sarex) Malsing, is in its sixth iteration and is scheduled to run from May 7 to 15 at Kuantan Air Base, as announced by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) on May 9.
Participating in the exercise are the RSAF’s H225M helicopters and the RMAF’s EC725 helicopters, along with their respective search-and-rescue aircrews and ground crews.
During the opening ceremony of Sarex Malsing at Kuantan Air Base on May 8, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lim Seng Wee, RSAF Commanding Officer, 125 Squadron, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmad Farhan bin Ahmad, RMAF, Commanding Officer of 10 Squadron, co-officiated the event.
LTC Lim emphasised the significance of the annual bilateral exercise, stating that it offers both air forces valuable opportunities to collaborate, interoperate, and enhance their capabilities in life-saving search-and-rescue missions.
He underscored the commitment to improving search-and-rescue operations through regular joint training, highlighting the strong and enduring defense relations between the two countries.
Singapore’s Chief of Staff, Air Staff, Brigadier-General Ho Kum Luen, and the deputy chief of the RMAF, Lieutenant-General Datuk Seri Haji Muhamad Norazlan bin Aris, are set to co-officiate the closing ceremony of Sarex Malsing on May 14 at Kuantan Air Base.
Sarex Malsing, inaugurated in 2018, is designed to bolster the professionalism and defence relations between the two air forces while nurturing closer rapport and mutual cooperation among personnel, according to Mindef.
In addition to Sarex Malsing, the RSAF and RMAF engage regularly in various activities, including bilateral visits, professional exchanges, and multilateral endeavours under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
Formed in 1971, the FPDA comprises Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore, with the objective of safeguarding the external defense of Singapore and Malaysia following the withdrawal of British forces from Singapore.
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