India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft: A Rising Force in Southeast Asia

In a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) has emerged as the top choice for Malaysia as the Southeast Asian nation assesses its aging fleet of fighter jets. The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is currently considering the procurement of new aircraft, with contenders including China’s JF-17 jet, South Korea’s FA-50, Russia’s MiG-35, and the HAL Tejas.

As part of the competitive bidding process, India has offered to set up an Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Malaysia to support the Russian-origin Sukhoi-30 fighter fleet, which faces difficulties in procuring spare parts due to Western sanctions against Moscow. This move highlights India’s commitment to enhancing its defense cooperation with Malaysia.

Notably, the Chinese JF-17 was found to be deficient in meeting the technical parameters of the Tejas Mk-1A variant, and the maintenance of the Su-30 fleet remains a concern for the RMAF. A team of high-ranking officials and experts is expected to visit India soon to finalize the procurement process. Malaysia’s desire to procure the Tejas demonstrates its interest in bolstering its air defense capabilities.

Malaysia is also looking to replace its aging fleet of Russian MiG-29 fighter planes. However, the timeline for the Tejas’ induction is not immediate. Tejas is currently competing with Russia’s MiG-35 and is expected to participate in a robust evaluation process to replace the MiG-29 fleet.

In the face of the competition, India has offered to establish an MRO facility for the Russian-origin Su-30 fighter fleet, highlighting the intent to provide solutions to the difficulties faced due to Western sanctions against Russia. Malaysia is keen to maintain the same level of services from HAL for the Tejas that the Indian Air Force (IAF) enjoys.

The HAL Tejas, an Indian, single-engine delta-wing multirole light fighter aircraft developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with the Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, comes from a long legacy of replacing India’s aging MiG-21 fighter jets. Named Tejas in 2003, it’s the smallest and lightest in its category of supersonic combat aircraft. Tejas, manufactured by HAL, is a single-engine, highly agile supersonic fighter aircraft designed to operate effectively in high-threat air defense environments.

As India actively seeks to expand its defense cooperation with Malaysia, the Tejas LCA emerges as a formidable candidate in the quest to strengthen Malaysia’s air defense capabilities, underlining India’s commitment to deepening regional partnerships.