Malaysia picks South Korea’s FA-50 light combat jet over Indian bid

MELBOURNE, Australia — Korea Aerospace Industries has won a competition to supply light attack aircraft to Malaysia , the company announced, marking its latest export for the line of trainer/light attack jets.

The South Korean company said the contract, worth $920 million, will see it deliver 18 FA-50 jets to the Southeast Asian country, with the first due for delivery in 2026.

The FA-50 beat the Tejas light combat aircraft, made by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., for the Malaysian requirement. The country had shortlisted the two types out of an initial field that included the JF-17, made by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex , and the Russian-made MiG-35.

Malaysia is seeking to bolster its air combat and training capabilities as it seeks to replace its fleet of BAE Systems-made Hawk trainers and light combat aircraft, which has suffered from a high attrition rate in recent years.

The country also wants to replace 16 MiG-29 interceptors it retired in 2017 due to inadequate funding for sustainment. But a planned multirole combat aircraft program to replace the aircraft also stalled due to budget constraints.

Malaysia previously said it required 36 jets, meaning it will continue looking for an additional 18 aircraft.

The FA-50 is a combat-capable derivative of the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer, and the win in Malaysia will bring the number of Southeast Asian countries flying the T-50 and its derivatives to four. Indonesia , the Philippines and Thailand also operate the aircraft type.

South Korea uses the T-50, TA-50 and FA-50. The latter two are combat-capable and can be fitted with up to seven external stores hardpoints that can carry air-to-air and precision-guided air-to-surface weapons.

The combat-capable versions are also integrated with American-made or Israeli-built radars, with KAI seeking to integrate newer and more capable radars in future block upgrades.

Iraq also operates a version of the FA-50 it calls the T-50IQ, while Poland has selected 48 FA-50s as part of a large military package with South Korea. The European nation sought to replace its Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su-22 jets in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine .

Mike Yeo is the Asia correspondent for Defense News.

澳大利亚墨尔本——韩国航空航天工业公司宣布，该公司赢得了向马来西亚供应轻型攻击机的竞标，这是该公司最新出口的教练/轻型攻击机。

这家韩国公司表示，这份价值 9.2 亿美元的合同将使其向这个东南亚国家交付 18 架 FA-50 战斗机，第一架将于 2026 年交付。

在马来西亚的竞标中，FA-50击败了印度斯坦航空有限公司（HAL）生产的“光辉”（Tejas）轻型战斗机。此前，马来西亚曾从包括巴基斯坦航空工业公司（PAC）生产的JF-17和俄罗斯生产的米格-35在内的多个候选机型中筛选出FA-50和“光辉”这两款战机。

马来西亚正寻求加强其空中作战和训练能力，以替换其近年来损耗率较高的 BAE Systems 制造的 Hawk 教练机和轻型战斗机机队。

该国还希望替换2017年因维护资金不足而退役的16架米格-29截击机。但一项旨在取代这些飞机的多用途战斗机计划也因预算限制而停滞不前。

马来西亚此前表示需要 36 架喷气式飞机，这意味着它将继续寻找另外 18 架飞机。

FA-50是T-50“金鹰”教练机的作战衍生机型，此次在马来西亚的竞标将使东南亚地区装备T-50及其衍生机型的国家数量达到四个。印度尼西亚、菲律宾和泰国也装备了该型飞机。

韩国使用T-50、TA-50和FA-50。后两种型号具备作战能力，最多可配备7个外挂点，可携带空空武器和精确制导空地武器。

具备作战能力的版本还集成了美国制造或以色列制造的雷达，KAI 正在寻求在未来的批次升级中集成更新、更强大的雷达。

伊拉克也装备了FA-50的改进型，称为T-50IQ。波兰则与韩国联合采购了48架FA-50，作为一项大型军事合作计划的一部分。在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之后，这个欧洲国家寻求替换其苏联时代的米格-29和苏-22战机。

Mike Yeo 是《防务新闻》的亚洲通讯员。