By Nigel Pittaway
LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Speaking on the eve of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) show, Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had bad news for the world's fighter manufacturers who are lining up to sell their product to replace the country's MiG-29Ns.
The country's defense focus, he said, is on local threats, including those from the Islamic State group.
"We need to look at what we see as the threats. What you see is the story unfolding in Syria and Iraq and which fighter is not there at the moment? You've got the Super Hornets, you've got the Typhoons and yet it is still unfolding before our very eyes," he said.
"And secondly, the threat from IS is different from our traditional terrorist threats that we have faced in the past, [which] don't compare with the threats that we're facing from IS."
Malaysia's MiG-29 replacement program has been stalled for some time and the latest focus on terrorist threats has meant a lower profile for many of the fighter manufacturers at LIMA 2015.
Read the full story at DefenseNews