Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, an indigenous light combat aircraft made in India, has been selected for the fighter jet program of the South-Asian country Malaysia. Negotiations are going on between India and Malaysia regarding the deal for this fighter jet. The competition for Malaysia’s fighter jet program included China’s JF-17, South Korea’s FA-50 and Russia’s MiG-35 and Yak-130 planes. Tejas has beaten all these and secured the first position.
Actually, the Southeast Asian country is thinking of replacing its fleet of old fighter jets. In such a situation, India’s Tejas light combat aircraft has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia. After which both the countries are negotiating this deal. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director R Madhavan said that despite stiff competition from China’s JF-17 jets, South Korea’s FA-50 and Russia’s MiG-35 as well as the Yak-130, Malaysia won the Indian Air Force. Planes have been selected.
India offered MRO: Under this deal, India is also offering MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) to Malaysia. Under which a facility will be built in Malaysia itself where Indian engineers will repair the Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet including Tejas. In fact, due to the sanctions imposed on Russia’s international deal due to the Ukraine-Russia war, Malaysia cannot take help from Russia right now.
R Madhavan, managing director of HAL, the company that made this fighter aircraft, said that I am very happy about this and am quite sure that we will definitely do this deal. These talks are almost in the final stages. He said, “We are the only country that is offering them support for their Sukhoi-30 aircraft apart from Russia. We are the only one who can give them the necessary support for the Sukhoi fleet as well.”
Even China’s fighter jet does not stand in front: R Madhavan further said, “Our Tejas is better than its competitors in many respects. China’s JF-17 fighter jet is cheaper than Tejas but it does not stand anywhere in front of the features of Tejas Mk-IA variant. Our Tejas is many times better, faster, lethal and state-of-the-art than the fighter jets of Korea and China. He said the Chinese JF-17 was cheaper but could not match the technical parameters of the Tejas Mk-IA and the Su-30 fleet maintenance offered by India.