LIMA at Langkawi – Asia’s most action-packed airshow

The 16th edition of LIMA was no exception, but somehow also a mixed bag. This was not due to the event itself, but very much due to the shift from the usual date in March to the end of May. This brings the venue right into the start of the rain season, leading to grey skies throughout most of the airshow week, and occasional, and by times really heavy rain showers in the morning hours.

For the aviation enthusiast traveling to Langkawi, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) is not only a great opportunity to combine the stay on the island with a nice holiday (though opportunities might be limited during the rain season), but it as also a perfect opportunity to catch plenty of flying assets of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). This airshow stands out as one of the most action-rich airshows in Southeast Asia.

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It might just have been bad luck, but it is most likely due to the season as it happened frequently especially on the the days before the actual show. And those severe weather conditions also caused the cancellation of some of the flying displays. But still, enough with the rant about the weather, there was lots to see and experience at LIMA 2023.

The flying displays in the afternoon were all about aerobatic displays.In 2023 a total number of 30 countries were invited to come to Malaysia. And this included four display teams, namely the

Russian Knights and their Suchoi Su-30,
The PLAAF August 1st flying the Chengdu J-10C from China,
Black Eagles from South Korea’S ROKAF on the KAI T-50 and
The Jupiter Aerobatic from Indonesia, flying six KT-1B Wongbee.

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Even though still announced just a few weeks prior to the show, the Russian Knights did in the end show up at LIMA. Around South-Eastern Asia, quite a few countries rely on the mighty Suchoi Su-27 Flanker and its sub variants as the main fighter jet for their Air Forces. And subsequently these countries have strong military ties to Russia. For me, being a visitor from Europe with Russia’s war against in Ukraine in front of the doorstep, it seemed an unusual move to invite the Russians Knights… And as an aviation enthusiast I have to admit that I like their performance. Better as a display team at the LIMA airshow in Malaysia, than operationally as part of the Russian war party fighting against Ukraine. And as politics cannot be left aside when talking about military and defence, and China is the most important player around this part in Asia. Therefore, obviously, the PLAAF’s 1st August display team also visited Langkawi airshow 2023.

Locally, the RMAF (or Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM) always impresses with a huge fly-by during the opening ceremony of the event, which features the RMAF’s fast jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. Helicopters also included some of the six Malaysian Army’s MD Helicopters MD530G light scout/attack helicopters, that were handed over in 2022.

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During the regular show days, Malaysian helicopters will present a ground attack attack scenario during the show days, and solo displays are being flown by Malaysia’s Su-30MKM Flanker and the F/A-18D Hornet.

Going naval at LIMA – the demo at Resorts World Langkawi

Furthermore the Resorts World Langkawi in the South of the island hosts the Maritime demonstrations on selected show days. The bay in front of the hotel acts as the location of a hostage scenario, which is being professionally being dealt with by Malaysian special forces, showcasing several speedboats, ships and some helicopters. It is a scenario that does not come out of nothing, as piracy is still very present in that part of the world and Malaysia is also very engaged to protect the Strait of Malaka, which is the shortest connection for ships traveling from the Far East to the Indian Ocean.

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If you might wonder about the lack of static display photos in this report, the weather is also partly to blame for it, as well as my planning… I thought I would have time to have at least a short stroll around the ground exhibition in more than hot and humid conditions. But as rainy weather made the flying displays and planning somehow unpredictable, I decided to go for the action shots of the flying displays, and skip the static display this time. I’ll keep that for another visit to the biannual LIMA at Langkawi, Malaysia, which despite some quirks is still a (the?) Major SE Asian airshow event and always worth a visit.

Verdict

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This show is sh’t hot! Not only due to the constantly prevailing high temperatures and humidity, but also to an interesting mix of aerobatic teams that cannot be seen elsewhere. Of course the amount of fighter displays in this year was only limited to the local Su-30MKM Flanker and F/A-18D Hornet solo displays, but the inaugural formation and AirPower demo of the Malaysian Air Force made up for that. And not much can beat an airshow under palm trees. Just a wiser choice for the date would have been good, even though it is understandable that the show event should not collide with the tourism’s high season on Langkawi island. LIMA 2025 will once again being celebrated in May, therefore fingers crossed for a less rainy event in two years time. As, in the end, this show does not deliver such a bad mix of aviation and relaxation after all…