Kluang Airport

The original airfield bearing the name Kluang was situated in Kahang, also within the Kluang District. Located approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) northeast of the current site, it was accessible via the Malaysia Federal Route 50 (Jalan Batu Pahat–Kluang–Mersing).^[6]

Constructed in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF), the airfield garrisoned a Lockheed Hudson bomber squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and served as a storage depot for bombs, explosives, and ammunition for Commonwealth forces. Security for the facility was provided by Australian troops alongside the Johor Military Force (JMF).^[7]

During this period, the site of the present-day Kluang Airport functioned as a secondary 1,000 yards (910 m) RAF grass landing ground situated within a golf course. It was utilised primarily for emergency landings by aircraft operating to and from Singapore.^[7]

Following the capture of the Kahang airfield by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1942, the facility became a major airbase for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) during the campaign against Singapore. Once the Japanese occupation of Malaya was complete, the Kahang site was converted into a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp for Commonwealth troops. The Japanese forces subsequently utilised POW labour to develop the former secondary landing strip into the new Kluang airfield.^[7]

During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, forced labour, primarily from Commonwealth troops, was utilised for the construction and expansion of the new Kluang Airfield at its current site.^[5]

The Imperial Japanese forces flattened a nearby hillside, extending the original runway from 1,000 yards (910 m) to 1,500 yards (1,400 m). They also constructed a new, second hard-surface runway measuring 700 yards (640 m). Additionally, multiple hangars were built, with at least two remaining in use by Commonwealth forces until 1970.^[5]

The new Kluang Airfield became one of the three major bases for IJAAS in Malaya, alongside Kuantan (now the RMAF Kuantan Air Base and Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport) and Seletar (now Seletar Airport).^[5]

Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Kluang Airfield was taken over by British forces and occupied by the 1st Battalion of the 1st Punjab Regiment (1/1 PUNJAB) of the British Indian Army. The airfield was subsequently converted into an army military base, and in 1946, it became the headquarters of the British Army 5th Infantry Brigade, which had recently returned from occupational duties in Japan.^[7]

In 1947, as conflicts heightened that later became known as the Malayan Emergency, the base was designated as the headquarters for the British 2nd Infantry Division. During this period, the base underwent significant expansion and major improvements, including new infrastructure, technical installations, and buildings. The original hangars of the airfield were repurposed for vehicle repair and housing machinery, marking its establishment as the Kluang Garrison.^[7]

By 1950, Kluang had become a centre for Communist terrorist activities in the southern Malay Peninsula. In response, the base was again expanded to accommodate the 63rd Gurkha Infantry Brigade, which was stationed there. At this time, the Kluang military base housed a major joint military formation, including three infantry battalions, an armoured regiment, and various supporting arms. The main runway served a helicopter squadron from the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.^[7]

A Commonwealth War Grave, formally known as the Kluang Gurkha Cemetery, was established just southwest of the runways. This site is dedicated specifically to Gurkha soldiers of the British Army and their families who fell during the Malayan Emergency. The cemetery also serves as the final resting place for several Gurkha veterans from the Second World War, honouring those who defended Malaya during that conflict.^[8]

Following Malaya's independence from the United Kingdom in August 1957, Commonwealth forces maintained a presence to assist in building and defending the newly independent nation. Several existing military bases in Malaya, including Kluang Garrison, remained under the control of Commonwealth forces, though a few support units from the Federation of Malaya Army were subsequently stationed inside the base.^[9]

One of the existing British Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshops was converted into a training centre to train Malayan Army personnel. This training centre is now known as the Army Field Engineering Institute (Malay: Institut Kejuruteraan Medan Tentera Darat or IKEM).^[9]

In the early 1960s, the British fully handed over its Noble-Field military base in Sungei Besi, Kuala Lumpur, to the Malayan Army. Consequently, the British No. 656 Squadron AAC was relocated from Kuala Lumpur to Kluang. The existing World War II-era runways were subsequently reutilised, and the Kluang Garrison once again became an operational airfield, functioning as an army base that housed both land forces and air arms.^[9]

In addition to its military usage, the airfield also served the public. The Singapore Flying Club utilised its runways during weekends for recreational flights and flight school activities.^[9]

In 1970, the British formally handed over the Kluang Garrison to Malaysia. The facility was subsequently divided between two branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces:^[10]

• Malaysian Army: Controlled the land-based army facilities, which were officially renamed Camp Mahkota.
• Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF): Controlled the airfield facilities, which were renamed RMAF Kluang Air Base.

During this initial period, the existing hard-surface runway was converted into a dedicated heliport, and an RMAF helicopter squadron began operating from the base. This squadron provided air support for Malaysian Army operations. The runways and terminal were simultaneously shared for commercial use while the nearby Senai Airport was awaiting completion.^[10]

In 1978, RMAF established a dedicated training centre for helicopters at the base. This facility is officially known as the No. 2 Flight Training School RMAF (Malay: No. 2 Pusat Latihan Penerbangan or Pulatibang II). The training centre serves a dual role, functioning both as a flight school and as an aviation engineering training centre.^[11]

In July 1994, the Malaysian Army Air Corps (Malaysia AAC, now known as Malaysian Army Aviation) was established at the base. This establishment was conducted both as a tribute to the British Army Air Corps that operated there in the 1960s and to facilitate the phased transition of the base and helicopter support duties from the RMAF to the Army. Concurrently, the No. 2 Flight Training School RMAF (Pulatibang II) was relocated from Kluang to RMAF Alor Setar Air Base.^[11]

The phased handover proceeded as follows:^[12]

• 9 January 1996: Overall management of the airfield was officially transferred from the RMAF to the Malaysia AAC. However, RMAF personnel initially remained on site, serving as pilots, crews, and instructors.
• 2015: The RMAF fully departed Kluang, and the air squadrons operating at the base became fully staffed by pilots, crew, and other personnel from the Malaysian Army.

List of current and former garrisoned and operating units:^[5][10][11]

• 881st Army Aviation Regiment (formerly Malaysian No. 881 Squadron AAC)
• 883rd Army Aviation Regiment (formerly Malaysian No. 883 Squadron AAC)

• Japanese 3rd Air Army (during World War II)
• British 848 Naval Air Squadron (during Malayan Emergency)
• British No. 656 Squadron AAC (during Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation)
• No. 10 Squadron RMAF (during Malaysian Communist Insurgency)
• No. 2 Flight Training School RMAF (Bell 47G training helicopter fleet)

• Singapore Flying Club

• List of airports in Malaysia