Maldives to acquire military aircraft next year, inaugurates first dedicated air station

Male, Nov 7 (PTI) Maldives will acquire a military aircraft next year, President Mohamed Muizzu said as he inaugurated the national defence force’s first dedicated air station.

“The landmark event formalises a key component of the island nation’s defence strategy, significantly expanding the capabilities of the newly constituted Air Corps,” state-run Public Service Media (PSM News) said.

The Maldives National Defence Force’s (MNDF) Gan Air Station, commissioned on Wednesday, is located at the southernmost Addu city.

“The Maldivian army has made progress in all areas,” Muizzu was quoted as saying by news portal Adhadhu. “Hopefully this coming year will be more progressive. We have already decided to get military aircraft for the Air Corps,” he added.

Muizzu, however, did not provide any details.

Adhadhu news portal said the Maldives government has increased its military expenditures, but keeps the details confidential due to “national security reasons.” The proposed state budget for 2026 includes MVR 2.8 billion for military spending, which, it said, is “four percent of the total budget.” The government's biggest military expenditure so far is a USD 37 million (MVR 570 million) contract to buy six military drones from Turkey, the news portal added.

Next year's budget also includes a large expenditure on insurance for the drones. The government will spend MVR 99 million on private insurance next year, it added.

The commissioning of Gan Air Station follows a Presidential Decree issued on November 3, which established the core mission for the MNDF’s air wing, PSM News said.

Under the Decree, the MNDF Air Corps had been directed to establish and operationalise the air station to support airspace surveillance, monitoring of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and the execution of Air Corps operations.

The Decree further mandates the implementation of 24-hour continuous airspace surveillance over the EEZ to ensure the Air Corps effectively fulfils its operational and national security responsibilities, it added.

The establishment of the Air Corps was formalised earlier on March 15, 2024 under a separate Presidential Decree, the PSMNews said.

Muizzu had previously inaugurated the MNDF’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) service at a ceremony held at Maafaru International Airport last year.

“With the commissioning of the Gan Air Station, all air military operations necessary to maintain the security of Maldivian airspace have now been fully launched,” the PSMNews said.

Meanwhile, the state-run media, in a separate report on Friday, said the MNDF has successfully intercepted a foreign vessel operating illegally in Maldivian waters, an operation made possible through surveillance conducted by a drone from the newly established MNDF Air Corps.

“This incident marks a significant demonstration of the island nation's enhanced maritime security capabilities,” PSM News added.

The MNDF Coast Guard Special Boat Squadron executed the interception following the drone's detection. But no further details were shared by the MNDF, it added.

The MNDF's newly introduced armored unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) boast impressive capabilities, including the ability to fly continuously for 20 hours at speeds of 220 kms per hour and conduct search and rescue operations in complete darkness, the PSM News said.

This advanced technology represents a substantial upgrade from previous times when the army patrolled the vast Maldivian waters with considerable difficulty, relying solely on Coast Guard marine vessels, it added. PTI NPK ZH NPK NPK