KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry is evaluating several options to meet the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s (RMAF) light combat aircraft requirements, including whether to proceed with the second phase of its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) acquisition programme, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the assessment also includes considering alternative platforms that may be better suited to the RMAF’s current operational needs as well as its medium- and long-term plans.
“To date, no final decision has been made regarding the implementation of the second phase of the procurement,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday (June 22).
As such, he said matters relating to the project’s registration under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) and the estimated cost of the acquisition have yet to be finalised.
Khaled said the ministry would ensure that any eventual procurement is carried out in a transparent and prudent manner while delivering the best value for the government and meeting the RMAF’s operational and readiness requirements.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah), who had asked for an update on the second phase of the LCA procurement programme, including whether it had been registered under the 13MP and the cost involved.
The government in 2023 selected South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 light fighter aircraft for the RMAF’s LCA programme, with 18 aircraft currently on order under the first phase of the acquisition, according to a Reuters report in November 2024.
