Has the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) decided on its next Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)?
While there has been no official word from the RMAF, analysts believe that South Korea’s FA-50 has edged out the other candidates for the lucrative, close to RM4 billion deal to replace its ageing fleet of BAE Systems Hawk 108/208 fighter lead-in trainer (FLIT)/ light attack aircraft.
Other contenders include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Tejas from India, Russia’s Yakovlev Yak-130, Leonardo’s M-346 Master from Italy, and Turkiye’s Hurjet.
The RMAF had called for bids for 36 airframes to meet its LCA/FLIT requirements to replace the Hawks, which have been in service since 1994. The Hawks perform a variety of roles and are assigned to Nos 6 and 15 Squadrons based in Butterworth, and Labuan, Sabah.
The programme to acquire the 36 LCA/FLIT airframes for the RMAF will be done in two phases. Eighteen airframes will be procured initially, with deliveries beginning in 2025 onwards.
The submission phase for the LCA/FLIT programme was closed on Oct 6, 2021. The procurement process is in line with the RMAF’s transformation plan, known as CAP55.
The FA-50 (main image) is built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with industrial support from Lockheed Martin of the United States.
It bears a striking resemblance to Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, popularly known as the ‘Viper’, and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Baby Viper’.
It features two cockpits, with the pilot in front, and a fully ‘missionised’ cockpit in the rear for the Weapons Systems Officer, or ‘Whizzo’ for the LCA role. In its FLIT role, the rear cockpit will be occupied by a flight instructor, while the student pilot sits in front.
The FA-50 is optimised as a ground attack aircraft and has a payload capacity of about 4.5 tons. The FA-50 is compatible with laser-guided JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) and can fire the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles.
It is powered by a single General Electric F-404 afterburning turbofan engine.
It is believed that KAI is pushing the Block 20 version for the RMAF, with a number of extra ‘goodies’ not available in the earlier Blocks.
These include air-to-air refuelling capability (most likely via a fixed, probe-and-drogue system, compatible with the system used by the RMAF across its fighter fleet), a strengthened centerline hardpoint for the addition of a ventral fuel tank, which would increase endurance and loiter time by 45 minutes, and a strengthened airframe for a longer life-cycle.
The RMAF will be the first air force in the world to be equipped with the most advanced and combat-capable version of the type.
However, the most important and much sought-after ‘extra’ would be the addition of an active, electronically-scanned array (AESA) multimode radar. This would improve the aircraft’s ability to track multiple targets, and to distinguish them against surface and sea clutter.
Currently, the RMAF’s fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKM Flanker uses the Bars-N011 passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar system, while the Boeing F/A-18D Hornets use the older AN/APG-73 pulse-Doppler radar. Under an on-going upgrade programme, the Hornets may get AESA radar sets.
With AESA radar technology, radio waves can be sent out at different frequencies in multiple directions at the same time without moving any antennas. While PESA radar systems may be able to scan larger sections faster, AESA scans more precisely. In addition, by scanning at different frequencies, it brings back more valuable information to its user.
The benefits of AESA radar include:
- Longer range
- Ability to detect smaller targets, and
- Better resistance to jamming
Since an AESA radar uses a broader set of frequencies, it is also much more difficult to detect against background radio noise. This helps aircraft remain undetected while defending themselves in their environments.
Industry sources say that the AESA radar options for the RMAF’s FA-50 fleet could include the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), Raytheon’s AN/APG-79(V)4, and a home-grown design developed by Korea’s Hanwha Systems, for KAI’s KF-21 stealth fighter.
It is believed that the RMAF wants its FA-50s to be BVR-capable, able to launch missiles at beyond visual, standoff ranges.
The FA-50 has seen some export success, with around 200 airframes ordered and delivered so far. Operators include Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. Most recent customers include Poland, Egypt, and Jordan.
Main image of two FA-50 jets from KAI’s website.