Malaysia nears FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jet deal with South Korea

Asia-Pacific, News July 28, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The South Korean FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter jet becomes the top contender for Malaysia’s lightweight combat aircraft program.

The FA-50 fighter jet would likely replace Royal Malaysian Air Force’s MiG-29 and F-5E front-line light combat aircraft.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force had been exploring the options to add 36 new lightweight combat and training aircraft to its fleet. South Korea’s FA-50 appears to be the top contender among the list that also contains Italy’s Leonardo M-346, Indian Teja fighter jet, Turkish-made Hurjet, Russian MiG-35, and China-Pakistan jointly produced JF-17 Thunder.

Although the deal between Malaysia and South Korea has not been announced or finalized yet, it is expected that the Malaysian Ministry of Defense and Royal Malaysian Air Force have unanimously chosen the South Korea FA-50 aircraft.

According to the sources, the Chief of Royal Malaysian Air Force General Asghar Khan Goriman Khan has shown a keen interest and satisfaction towards the FA-50 fighter jets by describing the aircraft as a ‘reliable’ and ‘affordable supersonic option’ among other options.

*^{Royal Malaysian Air Force Chief General Datuk Seri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan speaks at a press conference at the RMAF Subang Air Base on March 7, 2022. (Image Credit: Bernama)}*

Some negotiations have been reported to be going on between the Malaysian officials and the representatives of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the South Korean company responsible for the production of FA-50 aircraft. However, no official details about the tender have been released by Malaysia so far.

Malaysia is expected to go through a government transition in early 2023 after the general elections. If the current Malaysian administration retains the office, the FA-50 fighter jets deal would be destined to go through.

The FA-50 light attack aircraft is indigenously produced by the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI). The FA-50 fighter jet was developed to replace South Korea’s aging fleet of F-5E/F and A-37 front-line light attack combat aircraft. The plane was designed by KAI in collaboration with American defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, in the late 1990s and the first production unit was introduced into service in 2005. The single-engine jet is powered by a General Electric F404 turbofan, which can propel it to the speeds of Mach 1.5 making it a supersonic jet. The plane has a flight range of 1,850 kilometers.

South Korea’s FA-50 Golden Eagle jets are currently being used by the air forces of Indonesia, the Philippines, Iraq, and Thailand. At one point U.S. Air Force also considered acquiring the FA-50 Golden Eagle jets for its T-X trainer program, however, the deal could not go through.

Engineers assemble an FA-50, South Korea's first home-built light fighter, at an assembly plant of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon in this August 14, 2013 file photo. — *^{Engineers assemble an FA-50, South Korea’s first home-built light fighter, at an assembly plant of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) in Sacheon. (Image Credit: Reuters/Lee Jae-Won)}*

Recently, KAI also signed a $600 million dollar deal with Colombia to provide 20 new light-attack fighter jets to the Colombian Air Force.

Many other countries are considering purchasing Korean-made multi-role light-attack fighter jets to be used for training purposes due to their affordable price tag and low maintenance cost. The list of prospective buyer countries includes Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Spain, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates.