Page 37 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2023

panies with significant expertise in cybersecurity, drones and space technology.
“I can confidently say that this year’s LIMA is set to be the largest one yet,” Khairul Adib Abd Rahman announced during the official launch.
“Among the organisations exhibiting this year from the local front include BHIC, Deftech, Gading Group, Global Turbine Asia, NADI, Radimax, Sapura, System Consul- tancy Services and Zetro; whilst some of the international players include Airbus, MBDA, Kongsberg, Naval Group, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Team Defence Austra- lia, Aselsan, Roketsan and Havelsan.”
Team Defence Australia (TDA) has been a regular par- ticipant at previous LIMA events and will once again show- case Australian industry on the international stage.
Over the course of the five-day event, Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said organisers expect in excess of 45,000 trade visitors and over 250,000 members of the public, from 41 countries, to attend.
Malaysia’s Defence Minister YB Dato Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan said at the launch that in a rap- idly changing world, threats to national, regional and global security have become more complex.
“Not only do we need to contend with traditional security challenges, but we also need to consider non-traditional se- curity threats, such as extremism, terrorism and piracy,” he told invited guests.
“The regional security situation that has developed over
APRIL 2023 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
DEFENCE BUSINESS LIMA 2023 37 LEFT: LIMA is a major showcase for the
Royal Malaysian Air Force
BELOW: LIMA 2023 was officially launched in Kuala Lumpur on 16 January
the past year shows that enhancing cooperation is more im- portant than ever. This has made LIMA all the more sig- nificant. We look forward to more strategic, and significant, collaborations with reliable partners.”
MALAYSIAN DEFENCE PROCUREMENT
From an aerospace standpoint, the Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM – Royal Malaysian Air Force) has current requirements for a range of capabilities, including maritime patrol aircraft; light combat aircraft for use in the lead-in fighter training role; air defence systems including radars, and a persistent ISR capability to be provided by uncrewed aircraft systems.
Recent media reports suggest the TUDM is looking to purchase the Turk- ish Aerospace Industries (TAI) Anka turboprop-powered medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAS and has selected Leonardo’s ATR72-based P-72A as the preferred MPA capability.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) further announced in February that its T/A-50 Golden Eagle fighter has been se- lected by Malaysia as the TUDM’s next LIFT/LCA platform.
“THEREGIONALSECURITY SITUATION THAT HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST YEAR SHOWS THATENHANCING COOPERATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER”
The LCA program was launched at the
2019 LIMA show, with a requirement for up to 36 aircraft, in two tranches, under Malaysia’s Capability 2055 (CAP 2055) plan to modernise the county’s defence capabilities. Contenders included India’s Tejas LCA, Russia’s YAK-130, the Leonardo M-346FA and Pakistan Aeronautical Com- plex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder, but in February KAI announced it had been selected to supply an initial 18 aircraft to the TUDM under a US$920 million deal that will reportedly see the first aircraft delivered in 2026.
A future issue of ADM will include a detailed analysis of LIMA 2023, together with news of any major announce- ments. ■
ALPINE SOLUTION
NIGEL PITTAWAY