Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Gen. Affendi Buang, told the media while attending the Defence and Security 2017 exhibition in Thailand that a technical team will soon be set up for the evaluation of the maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) competition.
By Alert5 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Kulau Lumpur recently approved the purchase of four aircraft in the 2018 budget.
“Besides the aircraft’s capabilities, the team will evaluate other functions of the aircraft, including its supportive aspect and whether it (the aircraft) could collaborate with our local industry. We need to look holistically on its long-term benefits,” Affendi was quoted as saying.
The Royal Malaysian Navy will assign an officer to the team as well as the new aircraft will come with anti-submarine warfare capability.
He added that another team is evaluating the P-3 from Japan. Tokyo had offered to transfer their aircraft free to Malaysia. Affendi said the P-3s are not part of the evaluation and more of a stop-gap measure.