THE government is planning the replacement of Hawk 108 and Hawk 208 fighter jets as outlined in the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) capability development 2055 or CAP55 policy document, said Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein during Question Time in Parliament today.

He said the government had also started the replacement process by approving the new acquisition of fighter lead-in trainer/light combat aircraft (FLIT/LCA).

“The international open tender for this procurement was closed on October 6, 2021, and is currently in the evaluation process under CAP55,” he said in reply to a supplementary question from Ahmad Nazlan Idris (Jerantut-BN) who had wanted to know whether the government had considered grounding the aircraft and the current status of new procurement to replace the type.

Replying to a question from Hasanuddin Mohd Yunus (Hulu Langat-PH) on RMAF bases in high-density areas and in locations that are no longer strategic, Hishammuddin said all RMAF runways were in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards which were periodically audited by Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the RMAF.

Hishammuddin said despite being in a high-density area, as long as it met the standards, there was no need for the Ministry of Defence or the Malaysian Armed Forces to make drastic decisions about the location of the existing RMAF bases.

“Furthermore, all RMAF flight operations are also subject to very strict standard operating procedures (SOP) and aviation safety standards,” he said.

He added that ministry and the armed forces would work to improve the existing SOPs and safety measures. – Bernama, November 25, 2021.