New Delhi: Malaysia has chosen India’s Tejas light combat aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of fighter jets and both countries are trying to finalise the procurement. The Indian aircraft has been selected amid stiff competition from China’s JF-17 jet, South Korea’s FA-50, and Russia’s Mig-35 as well as Yak-130, according to the chairman and managing director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, R Madhavan, told PTI.
On its part, India has offered to set up an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility in Malaysia for its Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet because of the procurement issues related to spares for the aircraft from Russia on the back of western sanctions against Moscow.
“I am very confident about it unless some political shift takes place,” Madhavan said when asked whether the deal would be closed soon.
Stating that the deal once finalised will offer a very good signal to other prospective buyers of the aircraft and boost export potential, the top executive, “It (the negotiation) is almost in the final stages. We are the only country which is offering them the support for their Su-30 aircraft as other than Russia, we are the only one who can support them to the extent that they require for the Sukhoi fleet”.
The Chinese JF-17 was cheaper but failed to match the technical parameters of the Tejas Mk-IA variant and the offer of maintenance of the Su-30 fleet as proposed by India, reported PTI.
In order to take ahead with the procurement process, a team of high-ranking officials and experts is expected to visit India soon. Malaysia aims to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29 fighter planes with aircraft. However, the number of aircraft to be procured is not clear.
Tejas is considered much superior compared to JF-17 and FA-50 and the selection will offer Malaysia the option to opt for future upgrades of the fleet.
Tejas, manufactured by HAL, is a single-engine and highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. In February last year, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
India has started work on the MK 2 version of the Tejas as well as on an ambitious $5 billion project to develop a fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).