Countries across regions are increasingly staying away from Russian arms since due to the fear of inviting U.S. sanctions, opening the door for other arms exporters such as South Korea to fill the gap.
With Malaysia and many countries in the region on the lookout for new weapons, growing arms exporters like South Korea and Turkey have made major inroads into the market over the last few years. Malaysia, which has been dependent on foreign suppliers for their defence needs, was among the major importers of Russian weapons, but there has been a significant drop off in the country’s arms purchases from Russia in recent years. In 2017, Malaysia retired the MiG-29 fighter aircraft from service and has also had problems keeping its Su-30MKM ground-attack aircraft operational.
There has been a decrease in Malaysia’s import of U.S.-made weapons as well, with the country keen on an equidistant relationship with both the U.S. and China considering their power struggle in the region. Another reason for the fall in imports, apart from is the coming of age of new defence industries that offer weapons comparable in quality and significantly cheaper than those made by defence contractors in North America and Europe.
South Korea, which has made giant strides in the defence sector in recent years, is number nine on the list of top weapons exporters; the country accounted for 2.4 percent of the world’s defence exports from 2018 to 2022, an increase over 0.5 percent over the previous five-year period. In February last year, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) won a US$920 million contract to deliver 18 FA-50 jets to Malysia; the first aircraft is due for delivery in 2026. Significantly, KAI staved off competition from an Asian company – India’s Hindustan Aeronautics, makers of the Tejas light combat aircraft – to win the contract. The FA-50, a combat-capable derivative of the T-50 Golden Eagle trainer, is popular in the region, with three other Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand – also operating the aircraft type.
The South Korean defence industry has earned a name for itself through the sale of its armoured vehicles, tanks and fighter jet trainers, cluster bombs and rocket launchers, to a growing list of countries. The country’s biggest defence project – the KF-21 Boramae – has been approved for mass production. The fighter jet is much in demand internationally even though the South Korean Air Force is only expected to induct its first KF-21in the second half of 2026. KAI has plans to develop KF-21 Block-2 with upgraded air-to-ground attack capabilities by 2028. Among the jet’s potential buyers are Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Qatar and Senegal.
Among South Korea’s major exports in recent years have been the sale of patrol corvettes to Malaysia (US$1.2 billion), 12 FA-50 light combat aircraft to Philippines (US$420 million), 16 T-50s to Indonesia (US$4 billion), 12 T-50s to Thailand (US$110 million) and military vehicles to Philippines (US$345 million USD). In July last 2022, KAI signed the deal for 12 FA-50 Block 10 and 36 FA-50PL Block 20 with the Polish government; the FA-50 Block 10 jets have been delivered.
Malaysia and South Korea seem keen on further building up their partnership in the defence sector. In January, the two countries held high-level discussions to boost the bilateral defence and arms industry cooperation in cybersecurity and other areas. Joint drills are in the anvil. Recently, South Korea’s destroyer Yang Man Choon (DDH-1) arrived at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal, signifying their commitment to enhance defence ties and maritime security cooperation.
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