SHAH ALAM: FLIT/LCA tender briefing. RMAF conducted a virtual briefing on the open tender for the FLIT/LCA on July 29. However, not much details were revealed in the post on the service Facebook page published July 30. If you remember that there were similar briefings for the MPA and UAS tenders several months back.
Some of the officers involved in the tender briefing. RMAF
The posting by RMAF.
TAKLIMAT TENDER TERBUKA ANTARABANGSA PROJEK PEROLEHAN FIGHTER LEAD IN TRAINER-LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT (FLIT-LCA) FASA 1
KUALA LUMPUR – Taklimat Tender Terbuka Antarabangsa bagi Projek Perolehan Fighter Lead In Trainer – Light Combat Aircraft (FLIT-LCA) Fasa 1 TUDM telah diadakan secara persidangan video (VC) pada 29 Jul 2021 bertempat di Bilik Mesyuarat Permata, Bahagian Perolehan Kementerian Pertahanan, Kuala Lumpur.Taklimat disampaikan oleh PS 1 Keupayaan MTU-P&P, Lt Kol Fazrul Azwan bin Mustafa TUDM bersama dengan Bahagian Perolehan 3 (PERO 3) dan Bahagian Industri Pertahanan (BIP), Kementerian Pertahanan. Taklimat ini diadakan secara persidangan video memandangkan negara masih di dalam Fasa 1 Pelan Pemulihan Negara (PPN) akibat pandemik Covid-19.
Taklimat tersebut telah disertai oleh syarikat-syarikat tempatan dan antarabangsa yang menyatakan hasrat untuk membekalkan pesawat FLIT-LCA kepada TUDM. Proses Tender Terbuka Antarabangsa ini telah diiklankan melalui media cetak dan online, portal myprocurement pada 22 Jun 2021 dan akan ditutup pada 22 September 2021.
Keseluruhan perolehan pesawat FLIT-LCA TUDM dirancang melalui dua (2) fasa sejajar dengan perancangan peningkatan keupayaan aset menerusi Pelan Pembangunan Keupayaan TUDM 2055 (CAP 55) dan mendukung kesiagaan pengoperasian TUDM berdasarkan hala tuju ATM dan Kementerian Pertahanan seperti penyataan dasar Kertas Putih Pertahanan.
For more context on the FLIT/LCA tender go here here. Do note that the tender is scheduled to close this September 22.
It is interesting to note that one of the potential contenders for the FLIT-LCA, the Korean Aerospace KAI T-50/FA-50 is doing great business recently.
For you wondering, do note that I missed the FB posting initially as I was isolating in my room after being tagged as a casual contact by the MySejahtera application. Even though the application stated that I did not need to quarantine myself, I isolated myself due to an abundance of caution. Thankfully I was not infected. Hopefully all of you stay safe out there and this pandemic ends soon.
— Malaysian Defence
If you like this post, buy me an espresso. Paypal Payment
Is this project ever, ever going to come to fruition or is it going to end up like the Raphael aka Dodo?
Don’t be surprised if it’s cancelled after the pandemic……no money etc, same old excuse!
Well unless you have an oracle or a reliable crystal ball; let’s wait and see instead of prematurely making assumptions and asking questions which no mere mortal can answer. .
My feeling is that it will proceed.
My main worry actually is when the 2nd batch will be ordered because until that happens the RMAF will have to juggle/struggle with a ridiculously small number of LIFTs/LCAs; a neither here nor there situation.
@TomTom
Tendering is just the first step of many steps along the way, there is still a lengthy process to go and thru this there are many avenues for either parties to quit without encumbrances as long the Govt haven’t signed the contract or issued an LOU.
This buy is a big ticket and many times I have mentioned before, I won’t be surprised if this or the next Govt would cancel or postpone this buy if it is politically expedient for them. As I said, monetary expenditures would obviously be geared towards rakyat welfare so others ie defence spendings would have to take a knee for the rakyat at these pandemic times.
Glad that everything is well. Do stay safe.
Look like the pandemic has seriously delayed many things. Still no sign of the CN conversion.
Maybe it will proceed but the number might be reduced to 3 instead of 18, or some ridiculous number…
I am told coming soon
Korean KAI T-50/FA-50…for Malaysia yes..
Tom Tom,
The key word is “might” based on pure speculation. You mentioned 3; another might mention 4 or 5.
Let’s just wait and see. If we want to speculate based on all the possible scenarios; the sky’s the limit. Ultimately we just don’t know. What we know is that cash as part of the budget has been catered for and despite all COVID and the doomsday speculators; it is the MAF which is cash constrained; not the country per see.
A deal for a mere 18 platforms will not result in us having less cash for vaccines, hospitals running out of beds or an enraged public voting the government out of office.
Unfortunately another jf17 down, jf17b this time…thats 4 down already..
I hope the RMAF will selected their best and proven aircraft and hope no politician interference in their selection and wish their best..Always in the Sky..
I put my bet on tejas or JF17, not because they are my favorite jets but due to barter trade with palm oil.
We have discussed this subject exhaustively ad nauseum. I can’t see this happening till it’s actually announced by the government…
@Taib
Even after announcement the ruling Govt can abrogate the deal as with the M109s. I will believe it when I see the first batch of units, in TUDM markings, on Malaysian soil. Until then I won’t hold my breath as nothing is certain, moreso if we’re going to change Governments like we change our underwear.
@ Ed Liew
There is a recent photo from an Indonesian news article that show the RMAF CN235 conversion already fitted with a nose FLIR.
@I concur Bro joe. I rather think the government (we have seen 3 and counting) has always politicised the Armed Forces including the Police. So, generally speaking, the Defence Ministry is treated like just another ministry. That’s where our politicians are woefully and wonderfully blurry about defence issues, especially on possible buys and operations. I’m all for waiting for the first LCA to touch down at a local airbase. Seeing is believing… The current political scenario is too fluid for my liking.
First pic of RMAF CN235 M44-05 after conversion to MPA.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSYmWx0hPrF/
Taib,
It’s not that the government “politicised the Armed Forces including the Police” – it’s big ticket purchases which have have traditionally been tied to political factors.
The problem is that because the army is the senior service and the fact that internal security was our
priority for decades; it has the most influence. By right it’s the RMN and RMAF which get priority in funding.
A major difference between the M109s and LCA-LIFT is that the end user never wanted M109s due to long term cost concerns; unlike the case with the LCAs/LIFTs which the end user wants; with full governmental approval. Another difference is that there was really no urgency with a SPH unlike the LCAs which are urgently need to replace the Hawks and the LIFTs which we currently lack.
Taib – “So, generally speaking, the Defence Ministry is treated like just another ministry”
Sorry but yes; what do you expect?
The country is not run by a military government: we don’t face an existential threat: we’re not in a state of tensions with anyone and we’ve never been in an actual state on state war
(the closest was the Confrontation).
MINDEF is part of the overall bureaucracy we have in place and has to be treated equally. By right ministries which should receive special status I feel are Education and Health.
@Taib
To digress into a related matter, we keep harping that changing Governments meant a matured democracy but countries with a true matured democracy rarely change big policies, like defence posture & procurement, foreign relations, etc, even with successive parties running it. UK’s QE class carriers were started during Labour rule but it wasn’t politicised or cancelled when comes the Conservatives to rule, even with the massive cost overrun. Nobody blamed it on the Labour or their Menhan that time. US as well, from Obama to Trump to Biden, their antagonistic attitude towards China remains the same.
Sadly we don’t see such maturity here. Anything & everything is currency that self-serving politicians use to the hilt. Policies can go 180 degrees with no reasons given.
That’s what I said bro Joe. Government change shouldn’t affect big changes in policies or buys. By the same token we shouldn’t allow irresponsible middlemen to collude with money and power hunger pollies…if that’s actually possible in BolehLand
So should we allow “responsible” middlemen to still play a role in procurement? To be fair some local companies have provided added value for services rendered but most clearly
haven’t. All goes back to the system we have in place; deeply ingrained
A new government reviewing a certain contract because it feels it doesn’t provide the right value or because it feels certain aspects have to be changed to benefit the end user and taxpayer is one thing.
A new government reviewing a contract simply because it’s a populist move or because it wants to get back at political opponents is a completely different thing however..
On the QE carriers the reason they wasn’t cancelled or reviewed by a new government is because politicians from both divides agree that Britain needs to maintain its great power status and because having the ability to operate alongside and support America is considered sacrosanct.
@Taib
Not doing anything is also just as bad as a bad buy. Whichever the case, sadly we seen that decisions made from either sides won’t benefit the user or the rakyat but politicians themselves. Beli sesukahati, pusing sesukahati, cancel sesukahati.
On that matter, no country can escape from profiteers. Here we call them middlemen or 3rd parties or cronies, whatever, at other countries they are called lobbyists. So its not unique to our own or countries similar to ours. Its a global thing.