{"id":27148,"date":"2022-09-13T18:50:06","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T13:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=27148"},"modified":"2022-09-13T18:50:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T13:20:12","slug":"indian-tejas-aircraft-doing-well-in-malaysias-lca-tender-competition-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/13\/indian-tejas-aircraft-doing-well-in-malaysias-lca-tender-competition-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian \u201cTejas\u201d Aircraft doing well in Malaysia\u2019s LCA tender competition | Exclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Malaysia has launched a tender for 18 jets as part of the Fighter Lead-In Trainer-Light Combat Aircraft (FLIT-LCA) program.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Royal Malaysian Air Force<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s (RMAF) Capability Development 2055 strategy, Malaysia\u2019s FLIT program plans to buy 18 light combat aircraft with the 1st procurement and another 18 jets in the second procurement in 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Potential contenders include the FA-50 from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 from Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the Italian M-346 from Leonardo, the Russian Yak-130 and the Indian Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL<\/strong><\/a>) Tejas Mk 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tejas |Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, BAE Systems, which has supplied the Malaysian fleet with Hawk 108 trainer aircraft and Hawk 208 attack aircraft, also stated that its aircraft could be enhanced with various upgrades. In general, Malaysia \u2013 with its limited budget \u2013 has a history of \u201cpostponing\u201d defense procurement. So, for many years, it tried to replace the decommissioned MiG-29 fighters with 18 new combat aircraft, but this process did not lead to anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malaysia recently welcomed a reminder that combat aircraft are still necessary for today\u2019s geopolitical environment. On  June 1, 2021,16 Xi\u2019an Y-20 and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft of the People\u2019s Liberation Army Air Force, or PLAAF, made an unprecedented foray into the depths of the South China Sea. They approached the territory of Malaysia at a distance of less than 111 km, where they were intercepted by fighters of the RMAF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the reasons for such flights is the problem of oil resources in the exclusive economic zone of Kuala Lumpur and China\u2019s attempts to explore Malaysia\u2019s anti-aircraft capabilities.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Malaysian Ministry of Defence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

HAL presented its proposal to the Malaysian Ministry of Defence <\/a><\/strong>(MINDEF) in October 2021. According to HAL, the two-seat Tejas LIFT (Lead in Fighter Trainer) model had a good chance of winning the competition since it matched all of the RMAF\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tejas | Aviationa2z.com<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is corroborated by \u2018Janes Intel\u2019, which recently wrote that the HAL offer of LCA-Tejas <\/strong>has a \u201cfair chance\u201d of winning the bid, as it has met \u201call the parameters sought by RMAF in its FLIT program. The report also indicates that it faces some serious competition from the KAI-developed FA-50, which has been offered a similar sensor package at a lower price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an estimate by Janes Intel, the LCA-Tejas has been offered at $32 million per unit, while the FA-50 has been offered at $26.5 million per unit. The Koreans have offered in-flight refueling capability on the aircraft, as a bid by the RMAF, even though they have not been tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n