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Malaysia selects South Korea’s FA-50 light combat jet to replace its BAe Systems' Hawk

Malaysia selects South Korea’s FA-50 light combat jet  to replace its BAe Systems' Hawk
FA-50 © KAI

Korea Aerospace Industries has won a competition to supply Malaysia with light attack aircraft, the firm stated, marking its most recent sale of trainer/light attack jets.

The contract, worth $920 million, stipulates that the South Korean manufacturer will provide 18 FA-50 jets to the Southeast Asian nation, with the first delivery scheduled for 2026. Malaysia chose the FA-50 over the Tejas light combat aircraft manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. From of an original field that included the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex-made JF-17 and the Russian-made MiG-35, the nation had whittled the options down to these two.

Keterangan Gambar (© Pemilik Gambar)Malaysia needs to enhance its air combat and training capabilities as it looks to replace its fleet of Hawk trainers and light combat aircraft manufactured by BAE Systems, which has experienced high attrition in recent years.

Also, the country desires to replace the sixteen MiG-29 interceptors it retired in 2017 due to insufficient financing for maintenance. In addition, a proposed multirole combat aircraft program to replace the aircraft languished due to budgetary restrictions.
Malaysia earlier stated that it needed 36 planes, therefore it will continue searching for an additional 18 jets.

The FA-50 is a combat-capable derivative of the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer, and Malaysia's selection will bring to four the number of Southeast Asian nations that fly the T-50 and its combat-capable derivatives. Moreover, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand operate the aircraft.

South Korea operates T-50, TA-50, and FA-50 aircraft. The latter two are combat-ready and can be outfitted with as many as seven external storage hardpoints capable of carrying air-to-air and precision-guided air-to-surface weaponry.

The combat-capable variants are also equipped with American- or Israeli-made radars, and KAI intends to include more advanced and capable radars in future block upgrades.

Iraq also uses a variant of the FA-50 known as the T-50IQ, whereas Poland has ordered 48 FA-50s as part of a huge military deal with South Korea. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European nation planned to replace its MiG-29 and Su-22 fighters, both of which were manufactured during the Soviet era.

Akhyari Hananto

I began my career in the banking industry in 1997, and stayed approx 6 years in it. This industry boost his knowledge about the economic condition in Indonesia, both macro and micro, and how to More understand it. My banking career continued in Yogyakarta when I joined in a program funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),as the coordinator for a program aimed to help improve the quality of learning and teaching process in private universities in Yogyakarta. When the earthquake stroke Yogyakarta, I chose to join an international NGO working in the area of ?disaster response and management, which allows me to help rebuild the city, as well as other disaster-stricken area in Indonesia. I went on to become the coordinator for emergency response in the Asia Pacific region. Then I was assigned for 1 year in Cambodia, as a country coordinator mostly to deliver developmental programs (water and sanitation, education, livelihood). In 2009, he continued his career as a protocol and HR officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, and two years later I joined the Political and Economic Section until now, where i have to deal with extensive range of people and government officials, as well as private and government institution troughout eastern Indonesia. I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief in Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), a growing and influential social media movement, and was selected as one of The Most Influential Netizen 2011 by The Marketeers magazine. I also wrote a book on "Fundamentals of Disaster Management in 2007"?, "Good News From Indonesia : Beragam Prestasi Anak Bangsa di dunia"? which was luanched in August 2013, and "Indonesia Bersyukur"? which is launched in Sept 2013. In 2014, 3 books were released in which i was one of the writer; "Indonesia Pelangi Dunia"?, "Indonesia The Untold Stories"? and "Growing! Meretas Jalan Kejayaan" I give lectures to students in lectures nationwide, sharing on full range of issues, from economy, to diplomacy Less
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