Myanmar Air Force Helicopter Crash Indicates Wider Maintenance Issues

On August 2nd, a Myanmar Air Force (MAF) Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin medium utility helicopter crashed near Hmawbit Air Base, located in Hmawbit Township, Yangon Region. The MAF released a statement that said the helicopter crashed because of adverse weather. The incident is the third time that the MAF lost a Eurocopter helicopter and senior military officers because of non-combat related accidents..August 2nd Crash.The accident occurred during the morning hours after the AS365 took off from the air base with a female pilot, a co-pilot, Colonel Mya Thaung, a flight engineer, and Southern Air Force Division Command's (SAFDC) Commanding General, Major General Soe Tin Latt. The S365 reportedly crashed as it attempted to fly out of the air base. The crash resulted in the deaths of Soe and the co-pilot, with the female pilot and the flight engineer seriously injured..On August 3rd, Military Council Spokesperson, Major General Zaw Min Tun, confirmed the AS365 crashed in Hmawbit Township and Soe, and the co-pilot was killed. The Spokesperson said the helicopter crashed "due to bad weather" when it took off from the base's training field. However, she did not provide additional details about where Soe was traveling to before it crashed..Previous Helicopter Crashes.The August 2nd crash is not the first time that a helicopter crashed because of combat related causes. In June 2023, a Eurocopter/Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation-produced HC120 light utility/training helicopter crashed in the village of Le Dar Gyi, Naypyidaw Union Territory. The HC120 took off from the Aye Lar Airbase with an instructor pilot, Major Min Thu Aung Headquarters Commander of the Aviation Training Airbase, and a female trainee flying the helicopter on a navigation training mission..The helicopter was en route to the Shante Airbase, located near the city of Meiktila, Mandalay Region, when it crashed approximately five miles (eight kilometers) southwest of the village of Le Dar Gyi. Major Min and the trainee pilot were killed in the crash, with military units unable to reach the crash site located in the Bago Plateau. Base officials warned Major Min about adverse weather that could negatively affect the flight but decided to continue the training mission. However, the Military Council confirmed the HC120 crash and said it was likely due to sudden engine failure..On March 26, 2024, another HC120 crashed at the Mahura Cemetery near Pythayar Ward in the city of Meiktila, Mandalay Region. The helicopter took off from Shante Airbase, located near Meiktila, with an instructor pilot and a trainee piloting the HC120. The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 pm local time when the HC120 crashed at the cemetery. The instructor and the trainee pilots received unspecified injuries, and the helicopter's fuselage broke into two separate parts. The Miliary Council released a statement about the crash, saying that the accident was "caused by mechanical failure during a training exercise in Mandalay Region's Meiktila City." The council's statement, however, said that the Major and the trainee "were not injured during the crash.".Soe's Death Would Not Disrupt MAF's Ability to Provide Offensive Air Support but Does Show Maintenance Issues.The death of Soe is unlikely to affect the MAF's long term ability to conduct airstrikes or Close Air Support (CAS) to support military operations. The AS365 crash illustrates, however, the severe limitations that the MAF face in maintaining their fleets of jet aircraft and helicopters. Soe's death was significant because he was the Commanding General for the SAFDC, which is reportedly responsible for conducting airstrikes and CAS against the various groups fighting the Junta. He was also responsible for organizing airstrikes that targeted villages assisting or under the occupation of the resistance groups, causing a significant number of civilian deaths and injuries..While his death would have some impact on the MAF's ability to provide offensive air support to the Junta units fighting the resistance groups, it would not have a noticeable effect on this ability in the long term. The Junta conducted airstrikes against civilians and resistance groups before Soe was appointed to command the SAFDC in June 2023. The Junta military will either give the command to Soe's predecessor or promote a military officer to replace Soe as the SAFDC's Commanding General. The selection process would not affect the MAF's ability to conduct offensive missions against the groups because it would likely be a relatively short frame between Soe's death and the Junta picking his replacement..The AS365's crash is the third Eurocopter type helicopter in the last year, which indicates that the MAF is facing significant issues in maintaining its aircraft for training and combat operations. The MAF lost nine aircraft and helicopters of various types to mechanical or technical issues after the February 2021 coup. The increase in aircraft losses due to mechanical issues indicates that the MAF faces significant problems in adequately maintaining their airplane and helicopter fleets..One significant problem is the MAF's inability to maintain adequate supplies of spare parts and other components to effectively repair the aircraft and helicopters. The sanctions enacted against Myanmar after the February 2021 coup caused significant issues for the Junta to acquire parts to maintain and operate its military equipment. The MAF's ability to buy replacement parts and other equipment is especially affected by the sanctions. MAF units would be required to cannibalize parts from nonoperational aircraft to fix the aircraft and to make them airworthy. Alternatively, the Junta would use illicit means to buy parts, such as using the black market or front companies..The increased flight tempos negatively impact the MAF's ability to conduct proper maintenance checks, which causes significant strain on the aircraft. The issue is significant because the aircraft must undergo checks before and after every flight to determine if it is safe to fly and highlight mechanical issues. However, the pilots and maintenance personnel are likely foregoing the checks to increase the number of combat sorties they fly to support units fighting resistance forces. The preflight checks would have likely located the mechanical issues that led to the loss of the AS365, the two EC120s, and the other aircraft. Maintenance personnel would have repaired the issues that the pilots found during the checks to make the aircraft safe to operate..The flight tempo would also cause immense stress on the aircraft's components, such as its airframe or avionics. The additional missions mean that the aircraft's airframe and subsystems would face increased strain and fatigue than would normally occur. The MAF's supply chain issues and lack of flight checks compound the increased fatigue because pilots and maintenance personnel would not have the chance to find and repair any problems. Furthermore, the increased strain on certain parts of the aircraft would adversely affect certain systems more than others, such as its airframe..The maintenance issues are already having a profound impact on the MAF's operations, such as its ability to train future helicopter pilots. The MAF's fleet of six NC120s is used to train and familiarize new pilots with how to operate helicopters before they are sent for follow-on training on the airframe they will use, such as the Mi-35 or AS365 helicopters. The loss of two NC120s significantly impacted the MAF's ability to train new pilots because they now only have four helicopters. For example, the MAF placed two NC120s each at three bases, Aye Lar, Magway, and Shante Airbases, to train new pilots. The MAF would have to consolidate the remaining helicopters at two of the three airbases..Alternatively, they could also decide to move the four NC120s to one airbase to increase security against attacks by resistance groups. The MAF, however, would face significant issues related to moving the helicopters and associated personnel and equipment to the new bases. One potential issue is the MAF's inability to transfer personnel and equipment because of a lack of logistical assets, such as trucks and helicopters. The MAF and the Myanmar Army's helicopters and trucks are prioritized to support units in other parts of the country conducting combat operations against the armed groups. Another issue is the possibility that the rebel groups would ambush and destroy the convoys carrying personnel and equipment to the new bases.