RMAF’s Special Air Service, the country’s lethal weapon

PASKAU members withdrawing from the battlefield in an Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat.

The sky is the limit, both figuratively and literally, for the Royal Malaysian Air Force Special Air Service (Paskau).

Although it is the youngest special force among the three branches of the military, the RMAF’s commando regiment takes pride in itself by having the most technically demanding force.

Being a part of the Air Force, the regiment’s duties cover everything involving air operations.

“From guarding our air bases to destroying enemy assets, Paskau is the team that will handle it because of our knowledge of aircraft and aviation,” said Paskau commanding officer Kol Nazri Mohammad when met at the RMAF Regiment in Jugra, home of Paskau.

Bombed: The ‘enemy base’ targetted in an airstrike.

However, personnel are not only trained for offensive missions.

They are also deployed for air and maritime rescue missions, which are their main duties during times of peace.

Their latest asset for such missions is an Air Droppable Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (ADRHIB), which journalists who recently visited the base were given the chance to ride.

The twin-engined boat, the first of its kind in Asia, can be parachuted into the sea by airplane up to 300km from shore.

It can then race back to land at a top speed of 50 knots across rough seas at State 6 (3m to 4m high waves).

Journalists were given the chance to experience exercises that Paskau members undergo including scuba diving, parachuting, and shooting.

A Paskau member explaining to a journalist how the laser target designator is used.

They also participated in a treasure hunt with a twist — using night vision scopes to locate the treasures hidden around the training grounds of Bukit Jugra.

This gave the journalists a taste of what it was like when conducting operations at night.

On the last day of the visit, journalists and other VIPs were treated to a tactical demonstration simulating the role of a Ground Laser Target Designation team in an offensive against an enemy base and radar installation.