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Every two years since 1991 the holiday island of Langkawi in Malaysia becomes the venue for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, This is  LIMA 2013

         Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2013

LIMA13

Attracting yet another record attendance the bi annual Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition known as LIMA held on Island of Langkawi. LIMA continues to grow in popularity, as every two years this idyllic tropical island off the coast of Malaysia becomes the focus of attention for the countries around Southeast Asia, when it plays host to exhibitors and industry from around the world. This year involved some 403 companies from 35 countries from around the world that came to display their hardware and expertise. Originally the concept for the LIMA exhibition was to promote and drive forward Malaysia’s role in all aspects of generating finance from tourism to developing its own defence and aerospace industry.
 
The main event at the airport is the flying and the shows flying displays are coordinated to fit in with the airports scheduled flights and lasts for an hour and a half daily with the exception of the public days when there are two flying displays each an hour and a half the first in the morning and another in the afternoon. On the airfield there is also a static park where most of the aircraft operated by the TDUM can be viewed. There are also a number of other Air Forces who send assets, this year saw the Singapore Air Force sent two Block F-16D-52’s and a AH64 Longbow, RAAF dispatched a Boeing 737AEW Wedgetail, from the US Airforce and Navy came a C17 from Hickham, a P3 Orion ASW & two F/A18F Super Hornets. The RTAF sent two JAS 39A Gripens. Indonisian AF displayed their Jupitor Aerobatic Team of five KAI KT-1 Woongbi , Representing France the FAF had two Rafale B’s, the UK had two RAF Typhoon fgr4’s the last of the visiting Air Forces came from Russia who provided their Russian Knights Su27’s.  
        The big question at the LIMA 13 show is again the       unresolved issue of a replacement for the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) Mig 29N’s presently operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) and which are due for retirement.
 

            The big players were all here again in the form of Dassault, Boeing, Eurofighter, Saab and Sukhoi. Over the five days of the show the hour and a half flying display takes place daily with one session on the trade days and two sessions of an hour and a half on the public days. The show opened with a dramatic display from the RMAF which flew a combination of formations with each of their fixed winged jet fleet and two Super Cougar EC725’s. Following this came a formation of a Malaysian A380 and four RMAF Su30 MKN’s. Over the following days apart from dropping the opening display, the flying format followed more or less to the same schedule. Running in conjunction with the Airshow is a maritime show a few miles away at Porto Malai this too had a daily display which involved helicopters and a CL415 of the Malaysian Coast Guard and Navy which were based at Langkawi airport. They demonstrate their roles and abilities within their field of operations.

 

  
        The show drew to a close with the promise of a bigger and better LIMA15, this will certainly increase the Islands revenue with visitors sampling this exotic venue. It may be that there will be more air forces accepting invitations from the Malaysians to attend as word gets out about the venue and the hospitality of LIMA. The actual size of the apron at Langkawi airport may have a limiting effect on the numbers of aircraft that can attend and display but there would appear to be plenty of room for develop this when the time comes. As for now, its two years and counting.

 
 

        After being chosen as the Typhoon display pilot for 2013, Fl Lt Jamie Norris spent the next number of weeks at his base at RAF Coningsby putting together a new routine to the Typhoon. This was going to be a very long season for Jamie as LIMA13 in March was to be his first venue. This would mean getting to grips with this new demonstration during January and February in order to have his display validated in time. With daylight hours at a premium and avoiding the elements Jamie’s gruelling training schedule went ahead. Fortunately the weather held and he completed the routine and the validation was given.

 

       At the previous LIMA11 show the Typhoon display was undertaken by BAE Systems test pilot Nat Makepeace, when he flew into the show daily from RMAF Butterworth using one of 6Sqn’s aircraft. 6Sqn had deployed to Butterworth from Leuchars prior to the show commencing. Consequently on the ground at Langkawi for LIMA11 only BAE’s full scale replica was on show for the public throughout the show. However this year’s show would see not only the full scale replica but two Typhoons from 1Sqn, who had deployed earlier in the month to Butterworth as part of exercise Bersama Lima.

       Jamie of 29 Sqn flew into Malaysia from the UK and met up with the crews of 1 Sqn at Butterworth from where he brought the display aircraft over to Langkawi accompanied by a spare airframe.

 

  
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 

To see more of the LIMA13 airshow follow the link bellow