RMAF Hawk Mk 108 and Hawk Mk 208 (photo : Gilles Denis)
PETALING JAYA (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Defence has submitted a report on the procurement of 36 light combat aircraft (LCA) for the Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) to the Ministry of Finance for further action says Senior Minister of Defence Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.
He said the physical assessment and price negotiation for the proposed acquisition had been completed, and the ministry was currently awaiting a decision from the Ministry of Finance.
"We definitely need the LCA, and I believe there will be no problem if I use the previous (procurement) method, where the assets are determined by the end user (RMAF), this is my promise to the Air Force," he said.
He said this during a press conference after attending the ceremony to send off the first batch of the Malaysian Battalion (MALLBATT 850-10) peacekeeping force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), at the RMAF Base in Subang, today.
Previously, a total of eight international companies were reported to have bid for the tender to supply 36 LCA jets.
The proposed acquisition is to replace five BAE System Hawk Mk 108 two-seater LCA jets and 13 British-made Mk 208 single-seat models that have been in use for over a decade, as well as seven Italian-made Aermacchi MB-339CM Fighter Lead In Trainer (FLIT)-LCA stationed in Penang.
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