1976 Gubir helicopter shootdown

1976 attack in Malaysia December 2024 December 2024 Gubir shootdown Operation Gubir 2 of theSecond Emergency Nuri helicopter.jpg A Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri of the RMAF, 2009, similar to the one involved in the incident. 26 April 1976 Gubir, Sik District, Kedah Communist victory Malaysia Malaysia Flag of the Communist Party of Malaya.svg Communist Party of Malaya Air Force Ensign of Malaysia.svg Chung Ming Teck Air Force Ensign of Malaysia.svg Wan Munsiff Wan Salim No centralised leadership 1 helicopter 14 soldiers (3 on ground) Unknown 11 killed 3 injured None Malaysia RMAF Flag of the Malayan National Liberation Army.svg MNLA 300px 6.1420 N 100.8503 E inline,title On 26 April 1976, during a counter-insurgency operation conducted by the Malaysian government against guerrilla fighters from the Malayan Communist Party, a Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopter operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) was shot down by insurgents in forest reserves near the village of Gubir in Sik, Kedah. The incident killed all 11 people on board the aircraft. It was the first time guerrillas shot down an aircraft throughout the Malayan Emergency and subsequent communist insurgency in Malaysia and represented the first personnel killed in action in RMAF history. Background In 1968, the Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri helicopter, a variant of the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, was in service by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).New Straits Times 1997a 4 On 26 October 1970, the RMAF purchased 40 Nuri helicopters for troop transport, cargo carrying and rescue mission purposes.New Straits Times 1997b 4 Communist insurgent strategies, 1960s Between 1968 and 1989, Malaysia was involved in a low-intensity armed insurgency from the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA), the military wing of the banned Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), as a continuation of the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960. Helicopters, notably the Nuri, were deployed in action soon after their introduction, serving casevacs against the insurgency as early as 18 June 1968.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 4 Unlike the Emergency, where helicopters were not made a target, the MNLA now trained some of its insurgents to shoot down helicopters, which posed a threat to the Nuri aircrew. The first insurgent attack against a Nuri occurred on 6 August 1969, when a Nuri was shot during a final approach near Sadao, Thailand. A second attack happened on 22 December 1974, when a Nuri conducting a casevac near Weng, Baling was shot, forcing the helicopter to take off while its casualty was still hanging outside the aircraft.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 45 History Operation Gubir 2 The Ulu Muda forests surrounding the village of Gubir in Sik, Kedah, became a defensive stronghold of the MNLA during the insurgency and was even reported to have housed Chin Peng, the secretary general of the CPM.Mohd Said 2015 Estimates by security officials believed guerrilla camps around Gubir could accommodate between 400 and 500 insurgents.The Victoria Advocate 1976 8A To neutralise the insurgency near Gubir, a special operation, Operation Gubir 2, was launched near the village on 15 April 1976. Its main mission was to capture an MNLA training camp codenamed Target Bravo, which contained an underground tunnel network near the MalaysianThailand border. The operation came in the form of an airborne assault as preventive measures against booby traps set around the site. Three Nuri helicopters were deployed for the insertion of commandos and its planned extraction.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 5 On 17 April, as preparations for the assault, the site was gradually bombarded and strafed by a combination of artillery fire and aerial support. The assault began after the bombardment ended, but during the approach towards Target Bravo, the helicopter fleet was attacked by MNLA insurgents and was forced to abort the mission.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 5 The commandos' assault returned on 21 April 1976 and was successful in capturing the camp without any opposition, even though three commandos were injured by booby traps and were evacuated to Alor Setar.Abu Bakar 2018Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 56St. Joseph Advocate 1976 7A Shoot down of FM1715 On 25 April 1976, while stationing at Target Bravo, an ambush from the MNLA killed a soldier and injured another.Abdul Hamid 2012 6Abdul Hamid 2012 6 To counter the attacks, an RMAF Nuri helicopter (registration FM1715) was dispatched on 26 April to transport supplies and reinforcements to the encampment.Aviation Safety Network 2012 The aircraft was piloted by flight lieutenant Chung Ming Teck and flight lieutenant Wan Munsiff Wan Salim of the RMAF 10th Squadron and carried 11 people, including seven RMAF officers.Sulaiman 2010Berita Harian 1976b 1 At 10 23 g, while flying low and preparing to land troops on Target Bravo, the aircraft was struck by small arms fire from MNLA insurgents, and within two minutes contact from FM1715 was lost.Eugene Register-Guard 1976 2Berita Harian 1976b 1 The aircraft caught on fire, and was found to have executed an overshoot but crashed while evacuating the landing site.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 6Berita Harian 1976a 1 Further firefights between the insurgents and the troops on the ground injured another three soldiers.Berita Harian 1976a 1 Rescue parties were immediately dispatched following FM1715's disappearance but did not locate the wreckage until the morning of 27 April.Berita Harian 1976b 1St. Joseph Advocate 1976 7A The bodies of all personnel were burnt beyond recognition, with some body parts scattered across the crash site.Abdul Hamid 2012 6 Only two bodies were properly identifiedthey were the first to be buried on 28 April, while the remaining bodies were buried on 29 April.Berita Harian 1976b 1 Aftermath The shootdown near Gubir was the first instance where guerrillas shot down an aircraft throughout the communist insurgency in Malaysia since 1948.St. Joseph Advocate 1976 7A Mokhtar Hashim, the deputy minister of defence, represented prime minister Hussein Onn on expressing their condolences to the casualties of the attack.Berita Harian 1976b 1 Operation Gubir 2 ended on 1 May 1976 as a success, with all intended targets, primarily MNLA guerrilla camps, disabled and destroyed.Sulaiman Abdul Ghani 2016 6 Over 3,000 soldiers were involved in the operation and captured three jungle communist camps.The Straits Times 1976 1 The last troops stationed at Gubir were extracted on 3 May, concluding the operation after 19 days.Abdul Hamid 2012 6 The situation at Gubir, with almost 300 guerrilla fighters still hiding in the forests, and the general rise of violence in the insurgency, was among the factors that prompted Hussein Onn to order the expansion of the Malaysian Armed Forces by 30,000 men in mid-1976.The Montreal Gazette 1976 10 The remaining Nuri helicopters would serve the RMAF until they were phased out in the 2020s.New Straits Times 2020 See also Operation Termite Bukit Kepong incident 2024 Lumut mid-air collision References Citations 20em Bibliography News articles 30em yes 26 April 1976 Guerrillas down copter https://books.google.com/books?id=GahVAAAAIBAJ&dq=gubir+helicopter&pg=PA2&article_id=5489,7140799 Eugene Register-Guard 2 Eugene Register-Guard 1976 27 April 1976 Helikopter ditembak 11 terbunuh https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19760427-1.2.2 Berita Harian 1 Berita Harian 1976a 27 April 1976 Copter shot down, 11 killed https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19760427-1.2.2 The Straits Times 1 The Straits Times 1976 27 April 1976 11 killed as 'copter shot down https://books.google.com/books?id=MBZZAAAAIBAJ&dq=helicopter+gubir&pg=PA8&article_id=3999,4555754 The Victoria Advocate 8A The Victoria Advocate 1976 Associated Press 27 April 1976 Malaysian AF 'copter downed https://books.google.com/books?id=GA1dAAAAIBAJ&dq=gubir+helicopter&pg=PA7&article_id=4577,5140735 St. Joseph Gazette 7A St. Joseph Advocate 1976 Associated Press 28 April 1976 7 pegawai antara mangsa helikopter 7 officials among helicopter victims https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/beritaharian19760428-1.2.7?qt=gubir&q=gubir Berita Harian 1 ms Berita Harian 1976b 15 May 1976 Malaysia acts against communists https://books.google.com/books?id=ExkyAAAAIBAJ&dq=gubir+1976&pg=PA10&article_id=3570,4165621 The Montreal Gazette 10 The Economist The Montreal Gazette 1976 20 March 1997 73 lives lost due to Nuri accidents https://books.google.com/books?id=9vxOAAAAIBAJ&dq=helicopter+gubir&pg=PA3&article_id=2970,6164537 New Straits Times 4 New Straits Times 1997a 20 March 1997 Families of crash victims recount happier times https://books.google.com/books?id=9vxOAAAAIBAJ&q=oct+26+1970&pg=PA3&article_id=2970,6164537#v=onepage New Straits Times 4 New Straits Times 1997b Mohd Said Sakini 28 August 2015 Veteran proud to sacrifice a limb for country https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/310264 MalaysiaKini Bernama Abu Bakar Nazri 11 August 2018 Be grateful for peace and harmony, commando left disabled by communist booby trap tells younger generation https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/08/400404/be-grateful-peace-and-harmony-commando-left-disabled-communist-booby-trap New Straits Times 18 December 2020 RMAF to retire all Nuri helicopters https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/12/650491/rmaf-retire-all-nuri-helicopters-nsttv New Straits Times Bernama New Straits Times 2020 Other resources 20em yes Sulaiman Nor Ibrahim 14 February 2010 Tragedi 26 April 1976...Sumbangan Pengalaman https://xnuripilot.blogspot.com/2010/02/tragedi-26-april-1976episod-1.html Jottings of Xnuripilot 27 September 2012 ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 149316 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/149316 aviation-safety.net Aviation Safety Network Aviation Safety Network 2012 Abdul Hamid Sulasteri 2012 Peristiwa Gubir 26 April 1976 http://www.arkib.gov.my/ms/kpkk_jan-theme/pdf/Puspawangsa_Bil.1_2012.pdf dead Puspawangsa Malaysian Information Agency 9 1 1, 56 https://www.yumpu.com/id/document/read/7576904/peristiwa-gubir-26-april-1976-arkib-negara-malaysia 9 January 2013 Sulaiman Nor Ibrahim Abdul Ghani Rohani 2016 Employment of Sikorsky S61A-4 Nuri helicopters in counter insurgency warfare in Peninsular Malaysia 19681989 https://journalarticle.ukm.my/10638/1/15853-44356-1-SM.pdf Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies 43 2 122 Category:1976 in Malaysia Category:1976 disasters in Malaysia Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Malaysia Category:April 1976 in Asia Category:Accidents and incidents involving military helicopters Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Sikorsky S-61 Category:20th-century aircraft shootdown incidents