The Royal Malaysian Air Force has shelved plans to replace its fleet of Mikoyan MiG-29N/NUB tactical fighters with a multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA) and will upgrade its older aircraft, according to RMAF Chief Major General Dato' Roslan bin Saad. He told local media on June 1: "We have decided to upgrade the aircraft to ensure it has similar capabilities with fighter jets owned by other countries." The RMAF has 16 single-seat MiG-29Ns and two twin-seat MiG-29NUBs on the strength of a combined 17/19 Skuadron at Kuantan, but not all are currently in service. Malaysia's Aerospace Technology Systems Corporation (ATSC) revealed a proposal to upgrade the fleet during the recent Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition. Known as the MiG-29NM (modernised), the upgraded aircraft will include a Zhuk-ME FGM-229 slotted phased-array fire control radar, an NVG-compatible glass cockpit with two colour multi-function displays and hands on throttle and stick (HOTAS) functionality and a concurrent structural upgrade to increase airframe life to 6,000 hours.
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