Maran Perianen
Malaysia will receive its first two FA-50M light combat aircraft on Friday, 30 October. Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin announced the date in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.
The jets are the first of 18 ordered from South Korea for the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The contract is worth nearly RM4 billion.
Here is what arrives, what the jets carry and where they will be based.
FA-50M arrives on Friday
Khaled made the announcement while winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027. “Malaysia will receive its first two FA-50M aircraft at the end of this month, on Oct 30,” he said.
The Defence Ministry and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed the deal in May 2023. KAI has its base in Sacheon, South Korea. The contract covers 18 FA-50 Block 20 aircraft, and the Malaysian variant carries its own designation.
Earlier this month, the date was still open. On 12 October, the minister said the jets would arrive this month or next. He promised to announce the exact date later.
Officials have not yet said how the jets will arrive. They have also not said where the handover ceremony will be held.
The remaining 16 jets will follow in stages until March 2028. The Air Force confirmed that schedule in June.
Training began well before delivery. Six Air Force pilots were to train in South Korea. Fifty-one engineers were to follow, a 2025 report said. Their work prepares the Air Force to fly and maintain the jets at home.
What the jets carry
The Block 20 is the latest FA-50 variant. It has an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. This type of radar is common on modern fighter jets.
It can also carry precision-guided munitions and standoff weapons. In addition, it has an in-flight refuelling capability. That lets the jets stay in the air longer on patrol.
The aircraft has wiring for the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. The pod helps with targeting and surveillance by day or night, subject to weather.
These are light combat aircraft, not heavy fighters. Khaled said their arrival would strengthen air combat capability.
The Star said the Malaysian version is more advanced than those flown by Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.
However, the reports did not say which weapons the first two jets will carry on arrival. They also did not say when the jets will start full operations.
Where the jets will be based
Kuantan Air Base in Pahang will be the main home of the fleet. Khaled said some jets will also go to Labuan Air Base in Sabah.
Labuan is also in the budget news. Our report on Langkawi and Labuan covers what Budget 2027 means for both islands.
Khaled said the delivery would bolster the country’s air defence. Having two bases gives the Air Force more room to operate.
Basing jets at Kuantan and Labuan puts them on both sides of the South China Sea. That spread covers Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
Meanwhile, the ministry has not said how many jets each base will receive. It has not given a timeline for the Labuan deployment either.
The ministry has not named the squadron that will fly them.
We will update this story when the first two jets land on Friday.
Admin
Yalinie Mathan
CJMY
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