Biznextindia : Government of India owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for establishing an office in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in the presence of Dr. Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Defence. The office in Malaysia will help HAL in tapping the new business opportunities for Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) LCA and other requirements of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) like Su-30 MKM and Hawk upgrades. It will reinforce commitment of India in supporting the Malaysian Defence Forces and industry for sustainable aerospace and defence landscape in Malaysia.
HAL had submitted a proposal to Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Malaysia during October 2021 for supply of 18 FLIT LCAs against a global tender issued by RMAF. The final winner of the tender is expected to be declared soon by Malaysian authorities. LCA Tejas stands a fair chance of selection in the bid as it meets all the parameters sought by RMAF.
Further, being one of the largest producer of Russian origin Su30 aircraft, HAL has capabilities to extend the required support to RMAF for SU-30 MKM fleet which is facing low serviceability issues due to the ongoing Ukraine crisis. HAL can support RMAF for upgrading their hawk fleet as well. Other HAL platforms like HTT-40, Do-228, Advanced Light Helicopter (LCH) etc have the potential to be inducted by RMAF in the future.