LANGKAWI: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) requires between RM6 billion and RM7 billion of funding from the government to acquire 36 light combat aircraft (LCA).
RMAF chief General Datuk Seri Affendi Buang said the new requirement for the LCA would enable the air force to keep up with advanced technology and capability.
“Our BAE Hawks are now already passing 25 years in service.
“We have to do forward planning due to the aging factor as the maintenance for the fighter jet is getting costly and its capabilities are not up to date,” he told the New Straits Times at the RMAF office at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) 2019.
The fighter jets are currently being used to monitor the airspace at the South China Sea and the eastern part of Sabah.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Malaysia would remain interested in acquiring new fighter aircraft, but was not in a hurry as the ones the air force operated now were still performing well.
Expressing his concern, Affendi said RMAF’s new requirement for the LCA would be dependent on the government’s ability to afford procurements, as well as its priorities.
“Therefore, we have set up our Capability 55 (CAP55) blueprint for realistic planning accordingly, based on what the government can afford.
“Our priority is tailored to the government budget limitations.
“We will try to get our LCA first before the multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) requirements,” he said, adding that RMAF was likely to wait about 10 years to realise the MRCA programme.
RMAF’s blueprint will further describe future requirements to enhance its assets and force capabilities for long-term development until 2055.
Under CAP55, it is understood the air force was also seeking maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based missiles and radar, among others, by 2055.
Affendi said RMAF was currently still sourcing out suitable platforms for its new LCA requirements and could not identify the exact model of the fighter jet.
“We can only determine the aircraft model once we do proper evaluations. We issued request-for-information to all contenders (manufacturers) in the LCA category earlier this year.”
It is understood that the LCA contenders included the Korea-made T-50 Golden Eagle, Russia’s YAK-130, Leonardo M-346FA, BAE Systems Hawk, India’s Tejas and the JF-17 Thunder from Pakistan.
Affendi said there was no specific time frame for RMAF to acquire the new LCA, as everything depended on the government’s budget allocation.
“Once the government allocates the budget, probably the LCA delivery will start two to three years after a decision is made,” he said, adding that the delivery would then continue in phases for the next five to 10 years.
Affendi said RMAF had received offers of “private financing” for the LCA programme, but the air force was not seriously considering this.
“It’s not that we refuse it, but we are unsure how this private funding will cost us in terms of ‘dollars and cents’.
“We have not seriously considered whether it would be viable or practical to accept any private funding to acquire both the MRCA and LCA requirements for RMAF.”
Affendi said RMAF would consider any proposal to enhance its existing LCA system capabilities, adding that any upgrade programme would be dependent on the type of enhancements needed.
“Some are major and some just to address the obsolescence issues.
“There was a proposal, but we have yet to determine it.”
Meanwhile, Affendi said RMAF’s current fleet of MRCA, comprising the Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30MKM Flankers and American-made Boeing F/A-18D Hornet, were still relevant.
Affendi said the Flankers could be used for the next 10 to 15 years if they were maintained properly and upgraded accordingly. The Sukhois have been in service for about 10 years.
Meanwhile, although the Hornets have been in service for 20 years, RMAF had upgraded these jets in accordance with current capabilities.
“It is still good as the spares and maintenance are being carried out promptly, and this is sufficient for them to do the things they have been assigned for.”
For several years, RMAF had intended to conduct an MRCA replacement programme. This came about when it became clear that a fleet of Russian-made MiG-29N Fulcrum aircraft were becoming too costly to maintain.
The Fulcrums have since been retired, but the replacement programme has since been placed on the backburner.
Aircraft said to have been contenders for the programme were believed to have been narrowed down to just two: France’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, an aircraft made by a consortium of European companies, including BAE Systems.
Asked about future requirements for the MRCA programme, Affendi said RMAF had yet to undertake in-depth evaluations, particularly on the technical and operational capabilities.
“It will also include an indirect offset programme, such as technology transfer, and the maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, giving spillover effects to the country’s economy.”
Industry experts believed that the government’s spending on security and defence would create spillover benefits to Malaysia’s economy, backed by industrial offset programmes by aircraft manufacturers.
“The government can get this type of huge capital investment in return. The country has a few industrial offset programmes to generate income for the economy,” said an industry source who declined to be identified.
(NST)