Malaysia received its first South Korean-made light combat jet on Friday under a nearly 4 billion ringgit (US$990 million) procurement, in what analysts describe as welcome relief for an ageing air force still years away from replacing its frontline fighters.
The FA-50M Block 20 jet arrived at the air force base in Labuan, off Borneo, with a second expected in Kuantan on the peninsula’s east coast next Monday. They are the first of 18 aircraft ordered from Korea Aerospace Industries under a deal formalised in May 2023.
The remaining aircraft are scheduled to arrive in stages through March 2028 – beginning the first fleet renewal in 19 years since the delivery of Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MKMs in 2007.