MALAYSIA IS looking to find a buyer for up to 15 of its air force's Northrop Grumman F-5E/F fighters, which are due to be replaced by Mikoyan MiG-29s later this year.
The F-5s, are planned to be withdrawn from service, by January 1996 and disposed of according to Malaysian deputy defence minister, Abu Bakar. The aircraft have already been offered for sale overseas, say defence sources in Kuala Lumpur.
Thailand is understood to have expressed interest in acquiring some of the aircraft. Malaysia, however, is keen to sell the entire F-5 fleet intact. Other potential buyers are thought to include Chile, which has been seeking additional F-5s.
The Malaysian aircraft were first delivered in 1975 and include two RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance fighters and three two-seat F-5Fs. The fleet has undergone a structural fuselage-longeron replacement programme, but avionics have not been upgraded.
An earlier plan to modernise and retain the air force's F-5s and older McDonnell Douglas (MDC) A-4PTUs has been ruled out by a growing shortage of pilots and the entry into service of new aircraft, such as the British Aerospace Hawk 100/200.
In June 1994, the air force withdrew its 30 remaining A-4s from operational service. Five of the aircraft have been retained as interim buddy tankers, says Abu Bakar, until the air force can convert two Lockheed C-130s for air-to-air refueling.
Malaysia, in addition to purchasing 18 MiG-29s and 28 Hawk 100/200s, has also ordered eight MDC F-18D strike- aircraft for delivery in 1997.
Source: Flight International
