India, Malaysia expand defence ties, advance Su-30 upkeep cooperation

The 13th Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday during Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh's visit to Malaysia, where he co-chaired the discussions

India and Malaysia on Wednesday moved forward towards enhancing cooperation between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in exchanging expertise and best practices for maintaining their respective Russian-origin Sukhoi-30 (Su-30) combat aircraft fleets, while also enhancing cooperation in the defence industry, maritime security, multilateral engagements, and other key emerging areas during Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh's visit to Kuala Lumpur.

 

"Both sides also exchanged the finalised terms of reference (ToR) on the establishment of the Su-30 forum, as an outcome of the Malaysia-India Defence Cooperation Committee (MIDCOM)," an official Ministry of Defence (MoD) release stated, adding that the forum "will enable closer cooperation between the two air forces in exchanging expertise and best practices in Su-30 maintenance".

 

Both countries also took steps to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation during the 13th meeting of MIDCOM, held in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Singh and Secretary General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence, Lokman Hakim Bin Ali. According to the MoD release, "Both sides expressed happiness at the growing bilateral defence cooperation with regular engagements between the two armed forces in recent years."

 

The two sides held wide-ranging discussions on practical and effective initiatives to expand bilateral defence engagements and broaden coordination on regional and global issues, as stated in the MoD release. The co-chairs identified steps to enhance cooperation in emerging areas such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, while also exploring ways to deepen existing collaboration in the defence industry, maritime security, and multilateral engagements. They further agreed to establish a joint focus group to address non-traditional maritime security threats.

 

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fully implementing the new initiatives under the defence pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s visit to India in August 2024.

 

India and Malaysia also exchanged the finalised ToR on the establishment of a Strategic Affairs Working Group. The MoD release stated that the forum will function as an intermediate consultative mechanism between the MIDCOM and the two sub-committees to advance all aspects of bilateral defence cooperation.

 

The defence secretary highlighted the capability of the Indian defence industry, particularly its potential to collaborate with Malaysian companies and the armed forces in their capability enhancement and modernisation. He congratulated Malaysia on assuming the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and wished the Malaysian Ministry of Defence the best for conducting ADMM-Plus and the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting this year.

 

According to the MoD release, India supports "ASEAN centrality and unity," a crucial element of New Delhi's Indo-Pacific Vision. The defence secretary reiterated India’s support for Malaysia’s role as ASEAN chair in promoting a stronger, unified, and prosperous ASEAN that plays a central role in shaping the evolving dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region.

 

The MoD release stated, "India considers Malaysia an important partner in the Indo-Pacific, as Malaysia lies at the confluence of three key foreign policy visions: the Act East Policy, SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative."

 

The IAF currently operates 259 Su-30MKI aircraft, an India-specific upgraded variant of the twin-engine, multirole air superiority fighter, most of which were licence-produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and form the backbone of its combat fleet. Twelve additional aircraft worth Rs 12,573 crore are on order, and HAL expects approval for the Su-30MKI upgrade programme within the next 12 months, ensuring the aircraft retain their air combat capability for another 30 years. FlightGlobal's 2025 World Air Forces directory reports that the RMAF operates 18 Su-30MKMs.