230 Squadron, a Brunei-based Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron has been bolstered with a talented exchange officer from the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin, according to a a press release from the British Forces Brunei (BFB).
Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin was selected ahead of multiple other pilots to have the opportunity to take part in this exchange between allies and initially joined the RBAirF in 2012.
According to the BFB, he was amongst the RBAirF pilots who carried out his flying training in the United Kingdom where he was selected to carry out his Elementary Flying training and Initial Rotary Training with the RAF between 2014 and 2016.
Before joining 230 Squadron, Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin was a pilot on No. 11 Squadron RBAirF where he flew the Sikorsky S70i Blackhawk carrying out a similar task.
His training for the role included several months of instruction on the Puma helicopter at RAF Benson, UK followed by ‘Conversion to Role’ training in Brunei.
The final check for his training coincided with a task to fly the new British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Alexandra McKenzie into the nation’s jungle training areas.
Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin excelled throughout his training, and that this difficult final assessment was no exception.
The High Commissioner was joined by the new Commanding Officer of BFB Lieutenant Colonel John Jeffcoat, to meet and inspect British soldiers carrying out military training in the Bruneian jungle.
The flight flown by Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin was made on an RAF Puma helicopter, operated by 230 Squadron, whose primary role is to carry out medical evacuation of exercising British soldiers in Brunei Darussalam.
BFB shared how the squadron are often held at readiness to be able to take off within 60 minutes of being activated, and that on average from activation, 230 Squadron takes only one hour and 30 minutes to recover an injured soldier from the jungle training areas and deliver them safely to hospital.
As such, the squadron plays an essential role which has saved multiple lives in the two years that they have been stationed in Brunei Darussalam.
Major (U) Nazmi Nasrudin’s active involvement in the 230 Squadron reflects the strong bond between The United Kingdom and Brunei Darussalam and how close the two countries work together. – DANIEL LIM
