Malaysian Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein revealed to the country's government on November 25, 2021, that it has started evaluating proposals to replace the Royal Malaysian Air Force's ageing fleet of Hawk Mk 108/208 light-attack and lead-in trainer aircraft. The announcement comes in light of a fatal accident involving a Hawk Mk 108 on November 17 that killed one crew member and injured another. Hussein noted that the government had invited international contractors to submit proposals to replace the Hawk Mk 108/208s under the Light Combat Aircraft/Fighter Lead-in-Trainer (LCA/FLIT) programme. With current plans calling for 36 airframes across two batches, Hussein stopped short of disclosing the types currently being evaluated in the process. However, Malaysia has previously shown interest in Korea Aerospace Industries' FA-50 Golden Eagle, Italy's M-346FA Master, and Boeing's T-7A Red Hawk.
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