Royal Brunei Air Force - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the military Air Force of Brunei. The commercial airline can be found at Royal Brunei Airlines.

The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) or Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei (TUDB) as it is known by its Malay

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

name, is the air force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

of the sultanate of Brunei

Brunei

Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

. It is mainly based at the Rimba Air Base within the Brunei International Airport

Brunei International Airport

Brunei International Airport is the primary airport in the nation of Brunei. The Royal Brunei Air Force is also based at the Rimba Air Base which is located in the Brunei International Airport...

. The role of the Royal Brunei Air Force is to defend the national airspace and to provide air surveillance of the land and maritime borders.

The Royal Brunei Air Force was formed on 1 October 1991 from the Air Wing of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

Royal Brunei Armed Forces

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was formed on 31 May 1961. Known as the Askar Melayu Brunei, it was honoured with the royal title on 31 May 1965, when the word 'Diraja' was added to the title. It was then known as Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei,...

. The Air Wing of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces had operated helicopters (the Bell 205) since 1965. The Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

provides human resources specialists such as pilots and aircraft technicians to assist the Royal Brunei Air Force.

History

Royal Brunei Air Force was established as the Air Wing of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment

Royal Brunei Armed Forces

in 1965. It was first tasked to fly doctor

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

s to rural area with two Sikorsky S-55 aircraft, which was operated by pilots from the Worldwide Helicopter Company. In 1966, the tasks were taken over by pilots from the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

operating three Westland Whirlwind helicopters.

In 1967, the unit was renamed as the Helicopter Platoon and received five Bell 206 Jet Ranger

Bell 206

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...

helicopters. The Air Technical Training School was established in 1980. In 1981, the Second Squadron was established and equipped with six Bolkow BO 105 helicopters. The Third Squadron was establish in 1982 and equipped with SIAI-Marchetti SF260s. When Brunei assumed responsibility for its own defence from the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

in 1984 the Air Wing was expanded. On the 1 October 1991, with the consent of The Sultan

Hassanal Bolkiah

General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...

, the Air Wing was officially renamed the Royal Brunei Air Force.

The Fourth Squadron was established in 1997 and was equipped with the Blackhawk S-70A

Sikorsky S-70

The Sikorsky S-70 is a medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the U.S. Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Blackhawk and spawning a large family in U.S. military service...

helicopters. The Fifth Squadron was also established in 1997 and was equipped with a CN-235

CASA CN-235

The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...

plane and the Base Defence Squadron. In the same year, the Third Squadron received the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II

Pilatus PC-7

The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer is a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions including aerobatics, instrument, tactical and night flying. It has been selected by more than twenty air forces as...

training aircraft. The Thirty-Eight Squadron was established in 1999 and is equipped with the Mistral

Mistral missile

Mistral is an infrared homing surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European multinational company MBDA missile systems . Based on the French SATCP , the portable missile later to become the Mistral began development in 1974...

surface-to-air missile..

Currently, the commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force is Brigadier General Jofri Abdullah.

Organisation

The Air Force is divided into 5 Wings:

Operation Wing
Air Regiment
Logistics Wing
Training Wing
Administration Wing

The Operation Wing consists of 4 Flying Squadrons and two addition units:

The First Squadron is equipped with Bell 212 and Bell 214
Bell 214
|-See also:-External links:...

ST helicopters. The primary roles of the First Squadron are for trooplift, casualty evacuation, medical evacuation, fire suppression, VVIP lift and search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

.
The Second Squadron is equipped with Bolkow BO 105 helicopters. The primary roles of the Second Squadron are to provide flying doctor, reconnaissance, surveillance, VVIP lift and search and locate services.
The Fourth Squadron is equipped with Blackhawk S-70A
Sikorsky S-70
The Sikorsky S-70 is a medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the U.S. Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Blackhawk and spawning a large family in U.S. military service...

helicopters. The primary roles of the Fourth Squadron are special combat squadron operation task, trooplift, casualty evacuation, medical evacuation, fire fighting, VVIP lift and search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

.
The Fifth Squadron is equipped with a CN-235 aircraft. The primary roles of the fifth Squadron are to provide trooplift, surveillance and search and locate capabilities.
The Parachute Airborne Tactical Delivery Unit (PATDU) provides jungle rescue team, jungle line resupply, multi rope abseil. The PATDU are also involvde in parachute competitions at the regional or international level.
The Fire Unit provides cover if any aircraft during an emergency.

The Air Regiment consists of 3 Squadrons and Technical Training School:

The 33rd Squadron was formerly known as the Air Battery. The 33rd Squadron is equipped with the Rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...

missile launcher.
The 38th Squadron is equipped with the Mistral missile
Mistral missile
Mistral is an infrared homing surface-to-air missile manufactured by the European multinational company MBDA missile systems . Based on the French SATCP , the portable missile later to become the Mistral began development in 1974...

launcher.
The Base Defence Squadron is responsible for the protection of the Rimba Air Base at the Brunei International Airport
Brunei International Airport
Brunei International Airport is the primary airport in the nation of Brunei. The Royal Brunei Air Force is also based at the Rimba Air Base which is located in the Brunei International Airport...

and any Forward Operating Base.
The Technical Training School is responsible for producing qualified technicians for Air Regiment and organising courses related to Air Regiment.

The Logistics Wing consists of three units which are the Engineering Squadron, Supply Squadron and Technical Equipment Maintenance Department (TEMD). The role of the Engineering Squadron is to provide and maintain aircraft serviceability for operational use. The role of Supply Squadron is to provide logistical support and equipment for the personnel. The role of the TEMD is to provide maintenance for the aircraft.

The Training Wing consists of the Third Squadron, which is also known as the Flying Training School (FTS), the Air Technical Training School (ATTS) and the Standard and Evaluation Squadron (STANEVAL). The Training Wing is responsible for recruiting and training pilots and technicians, as well as preparing pilot instructor courses and flying standards. The Third Squadron is equipped with Bell 206

Bell 206

Jet Ranger helicopters and Pilatus PC-7

Pilatus PC-7

Mk 2 aircraft.

The Administration Wing consists of the Physical Training Section, Pay Office, Regimental Police, Military Transport and Civilian Office..

Aircraft Inventory

Bell 206

Bell 214

|-See also:-External links:...

|
| transport helicopter
| 214ST
| 1
| First Squadron
|-----
| MBB Bo 105CB
|
| utility helicopter
| Bo 105CB
| 4
| Second Squadron
|-----
| Nurtanio/CASA-IPTN CN 235M

CASA CN-235

Sikorsky S-70

|
| utility helicopter
| S-70A
| 4
| No 4 Squadron
|-----
| Sikorsky S-70

Sikorsky S-70

BAE Hawk

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, advanced jet trainer aircraft. It first flew in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk. The Hawk is used by the Royal Air Force, and other air forces, as either a trainer or a low-cost combat aircraft...

aircraft, but these plans have been delayed on several occasions.

In November 2011, the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

announced that a deal has been secured by Sikorsky to sell 12 UH-60Ms to the Royal Brunei Air Force

Royal Brunei Air Force

The Royal Brunei Air Force or Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei as it is known by its Malay name, is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is mainly based at the Rimba Air Base within the Brunei International Airport...