The 16th LIMA 2023 defence exhibition, held in Langkawi from 23-27 May 2023, saw the signing of 20 contracts, 21 letters of acceptance and two letters of intent worth a total of MYR 10.128 Bn (EUR 2.05 Bn), according to the Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MoD). Among the deals a number of aircraft acquisitions were finalised.
The most notable of these was a contract for 18 Korea Aircraft Industries (KAI) FA-50 light combat aircraft worth USD 920 M (EUR 858 M). This contract was officially signed at LIMA on 23 May after a Letter of Acceptance for the aircraft was agreed on 24 February 2023. The FA-50s will replace BAE Systems Hawks in the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet, which currently operates 12 Hawk 208 light attack aircraft and four Hawk 108 advanced jet trainers.
The Malaysian MoD described its future FA-50s as “fighter lead-in trainer/light combat aircraft (FLIT-LCA)”, with reports suggesting that eight aircraft will be used lead-in fighter trainers with the rest operating as light fighters.
Raytheon announced on 15 May 2023 that it will be furnishing KAI’s FA-50s with its PhantomStrike compact active electronically scanned-array fire control radar. This system will be integrated in the RMAF aircraft, the first deliveries of which will take place in August 2026.
On 25 May, meanwhile, LIMA witnessed the Malaysian MoD signing a contract with Leonardo for two ATR 72 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) variants plus related integrated logistic support and training services. The contract, worth MYR 789.6 M (EUR 159.03 M), follows the selection of the aircraft by Malaysia in October 2022 and was described as a “Phase 1” deal by the Malaysian MoD, suggesting that a follow-on purchase could ultimately take place.
The twin-turboprop ATR 72 MPA, the latest specialised variant of the ATR 72 regional transport aircraft, is designed to conduct missions including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface unit warfare (AsuW), search and rescue (SAR), environmental monitoring, medical evacuation and transport of personnel and materials.
According to a Leonardo press release on 25 May, the aircraft chosen by Malaysia will be equipped “with a flexible mission system, advanced sensors and a complete communications suite for command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) missions over land and sea”. Although the specific mission and sensor fit of the Malaysian order was not disclosed, Leonardo stated that the Malaysian ATR 72 MPAs would be “optimised for maritime patrol, electronic intelligence (ELINT) gathering, sea surface and submerged target detection and tracking, SAR, countering illegal activities (drug trafficking, piracy and smuggling) and protecting territorial waters”. The company added that there is growth potential for the aircraft to evolve into fully fledged ASW and AsuW platforms.
Leonardo did confirm that the Malaysian ATR 72 MPAs would feature the modular Leonardo Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance (ATOS) mission system. This manages the aircraft’s onboard sensors, fusing the information gathered and presenting a comprehensive and continuously updated tactical picture to the mission system operators.
Also on 25 May the Malaysian MoD signed a contract with Turkish Aerospace for three Anka medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial systems (UASs). This contract, also described as a “Phase 1” deal, is worth more than MYR 400 M (EUR 80.56 M) and covers an unspecified number of Anka unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground control stations as well as a training and logistics package. Its signing brings to a close an open-tender contest that lasted around five years.
Erol Oguz, UAS programme manager at Turkish Aerospace, told ESD at LIMA that the UAV type being supplied to Malaysia will be a new version of the Anka-S with modified wings. Oguz also confirmed that the Ankas will not be armed, but will carry a maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) payload that includes a synthetic aperture radar and an electro-optical/infra-red sensor.
The training of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) personnel on the Anka UAS will begin next year, while deliveries of the systems will take two years.
Although it appears clear that the RMAF will procure additional UAVs in a second phase, Oguz told ESD that it is “not 100% clear” what these would be, but that their type would be defined during delivery of the programme’s Phase 1.
Beyond the RMAF, the Malaysian MoD also announced at LIMA that a contract had been signed for the Malaysian Army to receive four Sikorsky UH-60A+ Black Hawk helicopters leased from Aerotree Defence & Services Sdn Bhd. The MoD stated that these aircraft will be used both for training as well as “operational flight duty”. The Malaysian Army currently operates two Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri medium transport helicopters, according to the IISS’s 2023 edition of The Military Balance, along with 10 AW109 light transport helicopters. The S-61 Nuris were originally operated by the RMAF, which first received the type in 1967 but retired the last 12 in 2020 after they become too expensive to continue operating. Nevertheless, a couple of S-61s have been used by the Malaysian Army to stand up its first air transport units.
The value of the Black Hawk leasing deal was not specified
Peter Felstead
