RUSSIAN FIGHTERS TO REPLENISH MALAYSIA'S AIR FORCE FLEET
RIA Novosti
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 (RIA Novosti) - Within the next two years Malaysia plans to give up seven US fighters F-5E in favor of the Russian Su-30MKM, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence Zainal Abidin Zin stated on Thursday.
As major Malaysian daily New Straits Times writes on Friday, as Zainal Abidin said, the decision to sell seven US aircraft, made two months before, was based on the expert commission's conclusion.
It became necessary for us to renew the fleet of these fighters which have been in service already for more than 20 years. We faced the choice - either to make a number of design changes in the aircraft or to completely replace them by other airplanes. We opted for the latter, the Deputy Minister said.
He noted that the decision on the replacement had been taken by the Kuala Lumpur top officials in keeping with the earlier attained accord between the governments of Russia and Malaysia on modernizing the Malaysian armed forces. The value of the contract is about $900 million, and the contract provides for supplying 18 Russian fighters. The Su-30MKMs are expected to arrive in Malaysia in 2006 and 2007.
The command of the Malaysian Air Force also displayed interest in purchasing American fighters FA-18 Super Hornet in the immediate future.
As many as 14 American F-5E airplanes are now staying at the base of Malaysia's Air Force in Butterworth. According to Malaysia's Deputy Defence Minister, the remaining seven fighters of the old model will be updated.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
