Malaysia’s senior defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein revealed in a social media post on October 9 that the government had chosen Leonardo’s two ATR 72MP maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) and three from Turkish Aerospace Industries. Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (MALE UAS). (TAI) to meet the requirements of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
“The government has agreed with Leonardo’s proposal and has decided to [TAI] for the acquisition of three [MALE UAS],” the minister said, noting that the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) is issuing a notification of acceptance once the final negotiations are completed.
Leonardo’s twin-turboprop ATR 72MPA platform is believed to have been selected for the Airbus CN235-220 and CN295 maritime patrol variants from PT Dirgantara Indonesia.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Malaysia has selected TAI’s Anka as the MALE UAS requirement for the service, with MINDEF issuing a request for information earlier in 2018, with the goal of initial deployment of the system by 2025 and full commissioning by 2026.
According to reports, TAI has partnered with Malaysian company Deftech to promote the platform and has established an engineering facility locally that it intends to develop into an avionics hub. The facility is located in Cyberjaya, about 30 kilometers south of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
The company also offers Malaysia the opportunity to participate in the joint production of various types of aircraft, such as the Hürjet Advanced Jet Trainer/Light Attack Aircraft and the Turkish Experimental Fighter (TF-X)/Municipal Fighter (MMU).
Malaysia is likely to be involved in the manufacture of components for TAI’s T625 Gökbey utility helicopter, which is expected to be delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces in 2023, with export available.
TAI’s Hürjet is also a candidate for the RMAF Light Fighter/Fighter Guidance Trainer (LCA/FLIT) program. MINDEF issued a tender in June 2021 to support the procurement of 18 initial aircraft. Its TF-X could also be used to eventually replace the service’s Boeing F/A-18D and Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter jets in the 2030s.
by Jr Ng
