RMAF Kuala Lumpur Air Base

Last updated
RMAF Kuala Lumpur
Sungai Besi Air Base
Simpang Airport

TUDM Kuala Lumpur
Pangkalan Udara Sungai Besi
Lapangan Terbang Simpang
Aerial of Selangor 2023 25.jpg
Simpang Airport in 2023
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
Owner Ministry of Defence (Malaysia)
Operator Royal Malaysian Air Force
Location Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Time zone MST (UTC+08:00)
Elevation  AMSL 111 ft / 34 m
Coordinates 03°06′41″N101°42′10″E / 3.11139°N 101.70278°E / 3.11139; 101.70278
Maps
Kuala Lumpur.png
Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur locator map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
WMKF
West Malaysia location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
WMKF
WMKF (Peninsular Malaysia)
Malaysia location map.svg
Airplane silhouette.svg
WMKF
WMKF (Malaysia)
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
mft
04/221,1993,934Tarmac (closed)
Sources: AIP Malaysia [1]
Simpang Air Base
Part of Royal Malaysian Air Force
Roundel of Malaysia.svg
TypeAir Force Base
Site information
ConditionMilitary Airport
Site history
Built1952
In use1952-2018
Battles/wars Malayan Emergency

RMAF Kuala Lumpur( ICAO : WMKF) was an air base in Kuala Lumpur. It is also known as Sungai Besi Air Base, Simpang Airport, Old Airport. [2]

Contents

History

It served as the main airport for Kuala Lumpur from 1952 to 1965 under the name Kuala Lumpur International Airport, [3] until the main airport was moved to Subang International Airport. It was the first airport to serve Kuala Lumpur and currently remains as the only airport to be located within the boundaries of Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory.

Formerly known as RAF Kuala Lumpur, it was used by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Malay : Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing Unit and the air unit of the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department.

The Royal Selangor Flying Club (Malay : Kelab Penerbangan Diraja Selangor) also flies from Simpang Airport. The four Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft belonging to the club are based at this airport. [4]

The airport was supposed to be demolished to make way for a housing estate, but that plan was cancelled and the airport is still used for air force flights. There had been non-fatal[ citation needed ] accidents before, involving single engine airplanes, at the surrounding roads and flyovers which are usually very busy during rush hours.

The airport also housed the RMAF Museum, which was the only aviation museum in Malaysia but ceased operation for the construction of the Bandar Malaysia North station. [5] There was no entrance fee and there was a total of 18 aircraft at the museum, including a de Havilland Tiger Moth and one of the few surviving Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneers. Some of the aircraft were accessible, like the de Havilland Dove.

The airport has ceased operation as of 16 March 2018. [6] The air base will be relocated to Sendayan in Negeri Sembilan.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport</span> Airport in Subang, Selangor, Malaysia

Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, , often called Subang Airport or Subang Skypark, is an airport located in Subang, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Malaysian Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Malaysias military forces

The Royal Malaysian Air Force was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force. However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the British Royal Air Force in then-colonial British Malaya. The Royal Malaysian Air Force operates a mix of modern American, European and Russian-made aircraft.

Royal Air Force Kuala Lumpur or more simply RAF Kuala Lumpur is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station in the Federation of Malaya and saw extensive use during the Malayan Emergency.

The North–South Expressway Southern RouteNorth–South Expressway Southern Route is an interstate controlled-access highway running parallel to the southwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The expressway forms the south section of the North–South Expressway, connecting the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor. It begins at Seri Kembangan, near the state/territory boundary between Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and travels southwards to end at Pandan-Tebrau in Johor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sungai Besi</span>

Sungai Besi is a town and suburb within the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The federal constituency of Sungai Besi existed from 1974 to 1995. Sungai Besi was a historical mining town with many heavy industries such as steelworks, waste steel plants and other steel industries. Sungei Besi Tin Mine site was the largest and deepest open cast alluvial tin mine in the world and in Malaysia. The town has since developed from a large area of village settlements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subang, Selangor</span> Place in Selangor, Malaysia

Subang is a township in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located about 17 km west of downtown Kuala Lumpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floods in Malaysia</span>

Floods in Malaysia are one of the most regular natural disasters affecting the country, which occurs nearly every year especially during the monsoon season. The coasts of peninsular Malaysia are the most prone to flooding especially during the northeast monsoon season from October to March.

Transport in Greater Kuala Lumpur includes a road network, a railway network, airports, and other modes of public transport. Greater Kuala Lumpur is conterminous with the Klang Valley, an urban conglomeration consisting of the city of Kuala Lumpur, as well as surrounding towns and cities in the state of Selangor. The Klang Valley has the country's largest airport, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), as well as the country's largest intermodal transport hub and railway station, Kuala Lumpur Sentral.

Pelangi Airways Sdn Bhd was a regional airline of Malaysia based at Kuala Lumpur Subang Airport. The airline covered secondary routes within Peninsular Malaysia and international flights to Sumatra in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PASKAU</span> Special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Air Force

The Pasukan Khas TUDM – it is better known as PASKAU – is the special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Its main functions are to carry out high-value target protection, ground forward air controller, combat search and rescue and rescuing downed aircrew assignments. PASKAU is also tasked as the principal anti-hijack response force for military and civil aircraft in Malaysia. This task was taken over from Grup Gerak Khas. All PASKAU members are airborne and commando-trained and can be deployed behind enemy lines via air, land and sea to assist in target designation for the Malaysian Armed Forces and RMAF missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RMAF Gong Kedak Air Base</span> Airport in Pasir Puteh Kelantan, Malaysia

RMAF Gong Kedak is an air force base operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is located in Gong Kedak, Pasir Puteh District, Kelantan, Malaysia.

The Royal Malaysia Police Air Operation Force is a special unit of Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). They look after national security by surveillance and patrol from the air and help other national security agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rayani Air</span> Full-service airline in Malaysia

Rayani Air Sdn. Bhd. was a full-service airline in Malaysia, headquartered in Shah Alam, Selangor, in the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area. It was the first Sharia-compliant airline in Malaysia and the fourth such airline in the world, after Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA), Saudi Arabian Airlines and Iran Air. No alcoholic beverages or pork were served on board in accordance with Islamic dietary laws and prayers were recited before every flight. It was forced to cease operations after only five months due to management, safety and security issues, pilot strikes, and lack of funding.

The National Special Operations Force (NSOF) was Malaysia's main security force which serves as the first responder to any terror threats on the country's sovereignty. The force covers elements from the Malaysian Armed Forces, Royal Malaysia Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to Selangor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RMAF Kuantan Air Base</span> Airport in Pahang, Malaysia

RMAF Kuantan is an airbase of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is located in Kuantan, Pahang in Peninsular Malaysia. It shares the runway and other facilities with Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RMAF Labuan Air Base</span> Airport in Labuan, Malaysia

RMAF Labuan is an air force base operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is located in the Federal Territory of Labuan in East Malaysia. It is collocated with the Labuan Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RMAF Subang Air Base</span> Airport in Selangor, Malaysia

RMAF Subang is an air force base operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is located on the edge of Shah Alam, a town in Selangor in Peninsular Malaysia and shares runway facilities with the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RMAF Kuching Air Base</span> Airport in Sarawak, Malaysia

RMAF Kuching is an air force base operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is located in Kuching, Sarawak in East Malaysia and colocated with the Kuching International Airport.

References