Hurjet and Tejas square up in Malaysia

A Malaysian tender for a Light Fighter Jet and Advanced Trainer Aircraft opened between June and October 2021. The tender was issued to find a replacement for the Royal Malaysian Air Force’s BAE Systems Hawk 108 and Hawk 208, and requires 18 aircraft initially, with options for up to 18 more.

The Malaysian government has mandated that prospective suppliers will have to source or acquire at least 30% of products/services from local Malaysian firms, and have set an acquisition budget of about $900 million, or $50 million per aircraft.

The Malaysian government has announced six bidders for the tender comprising Malaysia’s Aerospace Technology Systems offering the MiG-35, China’s Catic with the Hongdu L-15, India’s HAL with the Tejas, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with the FA-50, Italy’s Leonardo with the M-346, and Turkish Aerospace with the Hurjet. The JF-17, Yak-130 and Boeing T-7A are no longer in the competition.

Two competitors — Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — have been working hard to strengthen ties with Malaysia and to form relationships with Malaysian aviation companies in an effort to secure a stronger position. TAI, for example, launched an office in Cyberjaya and a science park in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Türkish Aerospace Industries A.S. General Manager Prof. Dr. Temel Kotil said that if the Huurjet wins the tender, 15 of the 18 aircraft would be manufactured in Malaysia.