The history of military aviation in Malaya started in 1936 when it was still under British rule. The Straits Settlements Volunteer Air Force (SSVAF) was formed by the British and equipped with Hawker Audax aircraft.
In 1940 it became the Malayan Volunteer Air Force (MVAF) and operated civil aircraft, including de Havilland Tiger Moth, Leopard Moth and Rapide. although this force escaped from the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the fall of Sumatera which followed saw it defeated by overwhelming odds. That was the end of the early air force that was nurtured by the British.
