A state-of-the-art King Air maritime patrol aircraft for border control and an explosive ordnance disposal robot for detection and bomb disposal valued at €16 million co-financed by the EU were inaugurated today by the Armed Forces of Malta. Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Carmelo Abela, Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds Ian Borg, and Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta Jeffrey Curmi presided over the ceremony held at the Air Wing in Luqa.
Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Carmelo Abela reiterated the priority given by the Government to the surveillance of Malta’s borders from air, sea, and land for the better protection of the community. He noted that today’s ceremony is not a one-off event but another completed project in a series of events that saw the Armed Forces of Malta in the last four years benefitting from a total of €70 million in investment co-financed by EU funds, transforming the Air Wing, Maritime Squadron, and the land component into a modern force.
He remarked that this advanced technological equipment is being utilised efficiently, with the Air Wing conducting more than 4,300 hours of flight surveillance for border control, and the Maritime Squadron conducting more than 33,000 hours of maritime offshore surveillance and search and rescue missions.
Minister Abela emphasised that parallel with the investment in equipment, there was unprecedented investment in the soldiers’ skills. He noted that recruitment became part of the employment working calendar yearly, with more than 500 youths starting their career with the army benefitting from an individual training programme. He noted that budgets allocated from national funds for training tripled to a total of €1.6 million, with more than 450 members being trained in specialised skills in over 20 renowned academic institutions worldwide.
During his speech, Parliamentary Secretary for the EU Presidency 2017 and EU Funds Ian Borg said that the project is intended to improve the AFM’s operational availability, capability, and sustainability of the fixed-wing component, and to enable the AFM to continue effectively patrolling the EU’s maritime borders both by day and night, and in support of other EU border-related missions. This project foresees investment amounting to €14m, out of which €12.6m are from the Internal Security Fund. Ian Borg stated that Malta has to date been allocated over €75 million to distribute amongst entities in charge of the internal security of Malta. The Government will uphold its commitment to further invest in the AFM and other border control stakeholders during the 2014-2020 period.
Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta Jeffrey Curmi said that this new King Air maritime patrol aircraft is specifically designed to incorporate innovative capabilities on many levels. Some of the aircraft’s features include improved situational awareness with the ability to have a maritime domain awareness picture and advanced navigational capabilities. He stated that further to the huge investment in the Air Wing, investment is also being made in the modernisation of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit by purchasing a brand new Explosive Ordnance Disposal Response vehicle, complete with ancillary equipment including two explosive ordnance disposal robots, two protective bomb suits, x-ray systems, as well as other bomb disposal equipment.
Minister Abela and Parliamentary Secretary Borg thanked the Armed Forces of Malta for their services to serve and protect the nation.