ST Engineering signed the deals for MRO work during last week’s Singapore Airshow. They cover Airbus’ C-295 medium transport aircraft and Embraer’s C-390 Millennium airlifter.

ST Engineering has experience providing MRO services to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s legacy aircraft, including A-4SU Super Skyhawk jets, a company representative told Defense News.

The firm has also performed MRO services for Airbus’ commercial line and conducted freighter conversions, but the recent agreement looks to expand work to the C-295, which will include depot-level maintenance.

Airbus executives said they have been looking for MRO partners in Asia, where 28 C-295 are currently in service with armed forces in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and Bangladesh. The agreement with ST Engineering would only cover C-295 aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, Airbus told with Defense News, and will not include aircraft from Bangladesh.

The C-295 can be used for surveillance and maritime patrol missions. The French firm Airbus anticipates an increase in C-295 orders following a rising demand for surveillance aircraft in the region.

A spokesperson from ST Engineering told Defense News the firm has not yet finalized the specific C-295 variants involved in the MRO collaboration.

Brazilian company Embraer signed a memorandum of understanding on MRO collaboration with ST Engineering for the C-390. An ST Engineering spokesperson told Defense News via email that the agreement covers engineering, support services and maintenance for the aircraft.

Embraer has not yet announced sales in Southeast Asia but anticipates demand for the C-390 airlifter. The two firms will also cooperate on radars and land systems; border security; simulation; advanced production technologies; command-and-control, communications and computer technologies; and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, according to a news release.

Meanwhile, ST Engineering’s defense aviation services division announced a first-time collaboration with American company Honeywell amid ongoing overhaul work for two C-130s in service with the Tunisian Air Force.

The long-time agreement between the two companies will see Honeywell provide hardware and engineering support to ST Engineering for the Tunisian aircraft. This includes the integration of Honeywell’s Cockpit Display System Retrofit, a system composed of up to five large-format LCD color displays that provide flight controls, air data and altitude sensors.

The military’s growing interest in manned-unmanned teaming comes amid a declining pool of 18-year-old conscripts and as relations with neighboring North Korea worsen.

Korea Aerospace Industries, a producer of various drones and crewed fighters, including the KF-21 Boramae and FA-50, is one of the companies leading the national effort.

In an exclusive briefing with Defense News, a KAI executive outlined the company’s four-phase road map to provide manned-unmanned teaming capabilities to the South Korean military.

“We have a very ambitious plan to create a system of systems for the future, and this is a combination of manned aircraft like the KF-21 and FA-50, together with unmanned combat vehicles as unmanned fighters, and also small-sized UAVs,” the executive said on the condition of anonymity, as the individual was not authorized to speak to the press.

South Korea’s Air Force plans to acquire both single-seat and twin-seat variants of the 4.5-generation KF-21, with first delivery scheduled for June 2026. The twin-seat jet, apart from its training role, is expected to perform manned-unmanned teaming, or MUM-T, in its Block III configuration. This would involve a pilot in the back seat — or perhaps artificial intelligence — controlling drones.

The KF-21 was designed so users could equip it with new technology even after production, and the intention is to eventually develop a fifth- and sixth-generation variant. This aim falls under what KAI calls the next-generation air and space combat system, a sophisticated and linked network of sensors and platforms such as satellites, airborne early warning aircraft, crewed fighter jets and drones.

Four phases

KAI is already implementing the first phase of its MUM-T road map, which began in 2023 and is to conclude next year. It involves the company and the Air Force collaboratively developing technologies to make MUM-T a reality with a helicopter and small, air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles. Once KAI proves the concept and technology for high-capacity communications and artificial intelligence, it will transition to more capable UAVs — which the company calls adaptable aerial platforms — to operate in conjunction with an FA-50 aircraft.

Although larger and possessing a longer endurance than the original air-launched UAVs, the recoverable “adaptable aerial platforms,” or AAPs, will not be excessively high-tech because they need to be affordable, the executive noted.

The second phase, to take place from 2025 to 2028, will culminate in a technology demonstration whereby an FA-50 testbed shows whether it can simultaneously control up to four adaptable aerial platforms. The demonstration is to feature AAPs acting as decoys to spoof the enemy; conducting electronic warfare with an onboard jammer; carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions with an electro-optical/infrared payload; or performing strike missions with its own warhead.

The third phase, to conclude by 2037, will transition increasingly capable MUM-T technologies from an FA-50 to a twin-seat KF-21. Simultaneously, KAI is expected to reach the engineering and manufacturing design stage for an additional type of combat drone acting as a loyal wingman to the piloted aircraft.

A single KF-21 would control up to four of the combat drones. In turn, each loyal wingman would command four AAPs. This essentially means the combat power of a single KF-21 would expand to 20 unmanned aircraft.

Work is already underway on such combat drones, as the government’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration chose Korean Air Aerospace Division in August 2022 to develop a new loyal wingman. Development of the so-called KUS-LW drone commenced in November 2021.

“The squadron of UAVs will not only support and escort a manned aircraft, but will also be able to perform its own missions including surveillance, electronic interference tactics and precise shooting,” according to Korean Air.

Finally, the fourth phase, from 2038 onward, in which KAI hopes to have sufficiently mastered MUM-T to attain a true system of systems: This is the fruition of the next-generation air and space combat system.

“It’s a kind of compressed development,” the KAI executive said regarding the four-phase process. “We believe we have to move, otherwise we will miss the chance. This time we have to act to get in front, utilizing the technology we have accumulated for the last 30 years.”

Indeed, South Korea’s defense and aerospace industry has the experience and capability to develop MUM-T capabilities, according to Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

“As with most nations, however, it is at a relatively early stage in exploring, researching and developing such capabilities. Much will also depend on the extent of near-term ambition,” he told Defense News. “Any approach that allows you to bolster your combat mass at reasonable cost, and with systems that might allow the acceptance of higher attrition rates, is going to be attractive.”

Artificial intelligence is a key part of this. Algorithms can outperform their human counterparts in terms of decision-making speed, as crews must await orders from air operations center, plus an AI-enabled network can produce a swift kill chain.

“Within a very short time, they [the AI and aircraft] have to exchange a huge amount of data, so secure communications and software … are necessary for this future battlefield. Eventually, AI command — in other words, AI pilots in the aircraft, maybe in the back seat, we don’t know — will replace some parts of the air combat center,” the KAI executive said. “With these very special capabilities and features of the future system, the AI can make a decision within a very short time frame. This short procedure will give us a huge advantage, considering our enemy is not well prepared for this future battlefield.”

Partnerships

South Korea and KAI are also looking for foreign investors.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik visited the Middle East in early February, during which he met his Qatari, Saudi and Emirati counterparts to discuss defense cooperation and unmanned technology.

Meanwhile, KAI is seeking international partners as it develops the MC-X Orca multirole cargo aircraft. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 92 tons and is about 132 feet long — between the lengths of a C-130J and A400M. Anticipated roles for the MC-X include transportation, aerial refueling, special forces operations, space rocket launches, airborne early warning, medical evacuation and maritime patrol — as well as MUM-T.

If the project proceeds, production of the MC-X wouldn’t take place until as soon as 2035, a company spokesperson said at the Seoul ADEX defense exhibition last year.

“Our government is pretty much interested in having indigenous hardware, but there is a question when and how much they are willing to invest. So we are in discussion with our government, but at the same time we are looking for international partners interested in this idea of a multirole cargo aircraft. There are a couple of countries that would like to be partners in this initiative,” the KAI executive said, declining to name the countries.

The firm has previously tapped foreign sources to close gaps in its technological know-how. For example, in March 2021, the company signed a collaborative agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries for loitering munitions. In computer-generated promotional videos, KAI has shown IAI-style drones launched by Light Armed Helicopters and Surion choppers.

KAI also has export ambitions. The executive said there’s a potential export market for up to 800 KF-21 fighters over the next few decades, specifically citing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as candidates.

And by demonstrating it can retrospectively integrate MUM-T capabilities onto FA-50 aircraft, the executive added, the company hopes to entice existing users like Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland and Thailand to take advantage of the MUM-T technology.

“For the FA-50 and KF-21, we are not selling the current capability of the aircraft. We are at the same time trying to sell the value of this aircraft to do something else, something greater in the future, by giving them [potential customers] an idea of the MUM-T concept and a fifth-gen combat system — in other words, a system of systems,” the KAI executive said. “There is high value once they purchase the FA-50. With the capability, gradually year by year, they can operate this aircraft to be perfectly prepared for the future battlefield.”

Certainly KAI’s ability to achieve its four-phase MUM-T plan is possible, Barrie noted, but it’s not written in stone.

“In part, this will depend on how far and how quickly South Korea wants to develop the technology, combined with the kinds of roles associated with the uninhabited elements of any teaming architecture,” he said. “While ambition is laudable, it also needs to be realistic.”

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration selected the C-390 in December under a $544 million Large Transport Tactical Aircraft II program. While the cargo plane had been raking in business from European and Middle Eastern countries in 2023, the order was the company’s first in Asia.

“The Korean decision was very important,” Embraer Chief Commercial Officer for International Business Federico Lemos told reporters during a security and defense briefing at the Singapore Airshow this week. “We are receiving a lot of interest and this is part of a greater opportunity.”

Embraer did not disclose target markets, but officials indicated that new customers may be revealed in the first quarter.

Officials said they plan to take the C-390 plane on display at the Singapore Airshow to other countries in the region before returning to Brazil.

Despite lacking a publicized order in Southeast Asia, the company signed a maintenance, repair and overhaul agreement with ST Engineering this week dedicated solely to the C-390.

Executives also said Embraer intends to leverage an existing partnership with Swedish firm Saab to explore new markets. The companies signed a production line deal for Saab’s Gripen fighters in Embraer’s Gaviao Pexioto plant in Brazil last May and ihave agreed to pitch the C-390 together to the Swedish Air Force.

Apart from the partnership with Saab, Embraer has engaged with domestic firms to offer the C-390.

Earlier this month, the company partnered with India’s Mahindra Defence Systems to offer the C-390 to the Indian Air Force. The IAF sought to replace aging AN32 planes and was reportedly planning to order 40 to 80 medium transport aircraft.

In December, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries to pitch the C-390 to the Ministry of Defense and to establish a regional MRO hub and assembly line in the country.

The two governments are now ironing out the final terms of defense cooperation based on a memorandum of understanding signed in June and ratified in September, the Philippines’ Defense Department explained in a Feb. 16 news release.

The arrangement is key to Sweden’s participation in the Philippines’ multirole fighter jet program, the department said, and the governments are to ink a deal at a meeting next month.

Negotiations had stalled while the Philippine military finalized its new defense acquisition program, dubbed Horizon 3 — the last phase of the government’s massive push to modernize its armed forces. In January, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved a 2 trillion peso (U.S. $35 billion) budget for the decade-long plan.

The Defense Department has not shared a specific list of assets and platforms it wants under the program, but Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters last month the budget will focus on building assets and capabilities to address threats to Philippine resources and vessels. Capabilities will focus on raising domain awareness; connectivity; maritime and aerial deterrence; command and control; communications; computer technology; and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance.

The military previously told Defense News most of its assets and platforms are deployed to the country’s western and northern borders.

Following the approval of Horizon 3, the department said it had changed its requirements for the fighter jet and had not disclosed the total number it planned to acquire, nor the price tag.

The Philippines retired its fleet of Northrop F-5 fighters in 2005, and in 2013 it spent 18.9 billion pesos for 12 FA-50 light attack aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries as fighter jet negotiations continued.

While the government has not identified the final choice for the fighter jet, the Swedish firm Saab’s JAS 39 Gripen was reportedly among the top choice.

The country had its eyes set on Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon in the 1990s, but economic troubles and a lack of prioritization stalled negotiations.

In 2021, the U.S. approved the sale of 10 F-16C Block 70/72 and two F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft in a $2.43 billion package. However, the Philippines has only earmarked $1.1 billion for the acquisition.

Sweden instead proposed the JAS 39 Gripen in 2022.

Saab has not participated in negotiations thus far, according to Andrew Wilkinson, the company’s Gripen campaign director. Speaking to Defense News during the Singapore Airshow this week, Wilkinson said Saab will join the discussions once the bilateral agreement is signed and after the Philippines reaches a decision on its preferred fighter jet.

“We are at the very first phase, but right now there is no official decision, no requests,” he added.

Previous negotiations were over the aircraft, but Saab officials said there is an array of systems to provide a “holistic defense solution,” like the GlobalEye airborne early warning and control plane that can provide long-range air, sea, and land surveillance in real time.

“We have ground radars, airborne radars, other types of sensors, and you can fuse all this information to provide one aviation awareness picture that you can distribute to the navy, to the army, even to the coast guard,” Anders Dahl, who leads Saab’s branch in the Philippines, told Defense News.

The company has a history in the region. In 2008, Saab signed a $309 million deal to supply aircraft and surveillance systems to the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

After the Defense Acquisition Program Administration issued a request for proposals in November, companies had until Feb. 22 to submit their bids.

South Korea is taking on more self-defense responsibilities from the U.S., and the new quartet of AEW&C aircraft will supplement four Boeing E-737 planes delivered around the 2011-2012 time frame. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the new platforms would enhance the South’s “ability to monitor North Korean missiles and defend its airspace.”

Boeing is competing with a 737-based platform again, its E-7 having the advantage of aerial refueling to give on-station times stretching to 20 hours.

“Regarding the capability, the unmatched E-7 multirole electronically scanned array radar sensing and tracking provides the most powerful multidomain surveillance, communications and networked battle-management capabilities of any aircraft,” a Boeing spokesperson told Defense News.

The American company, which is the fifth-largest defense contractor in the world, said the E-7 “is production-ready and offers lower operating and sustainment costs, higher mission readiness rates, and unmatched interoperability.”

Boeing executives at South Korea’s Seoul ADEX defense expo last year claimed a 96% availability rate for the E-7. They also highlighted commonality with existing Korean E-737s. “In addition to crew training efficiencies, the E-7 offers life-cycle cost savings inherent with fleet continuity and a global, common logistics model.”

Saab’s GlobalEye is also competing, with the Swedish company proposing a Bombardier Global 6500 airframe.

Saab believes its design, which mounts an Erieye extended-range radar atop the fuselage, is ideal for South Korea’s Air Force. As well as a hot production line, Saab touted its willingness to transfer technology to enhance Korea’s strategic independence. It also highlighted rapid delivery and affordability.

Saab is the 33rd biggest defense contractor worldwide.

The other contender is American firm L3Harris Technologies in tandem with Korean Air and Israel Aerospace Industries. Its Phoenix solution also uses a Global 6500 and integrates Elta Systems-made conformal radars and artificial intelligence algorithms. L3Harris claimed its design will have low sustainment costs and at least a 95% operational availability rate.

L3Harris is the ninth-largest defense company in the world, while IAI lands at 29. The former noted that an initial two aircraft would undergo modifications in Texas before receiving radar integration in Israel. Korean Air would lead work on the two remaining aircraft in-country, as well as perform sustainment.

“Through L3Harris’ agreements with Korean Air, LIG Nex1 and Ace Antenna, and ongoing discussions with additional Korean partners, the team intends that the aircraft and mission system equipment will be fully supported in Korea,” a spokesperson for the group told Defense News. “This … paves the way for independent domestic research and development, and fostering excellence in aircraft system integration, upgrades and modifications, which will contribute significantly to the advancement of South Korea’s research and development program.”

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration declined to provide Defense News with further details. The agency is now proceeding with evaluations.

Stockholm has been touting the possibility of sending the Gripen JAS39 to Ukraine for several months now, but has made any decision on this contingent upon the country’s accession to NATO.

Manufacturer Saab is moving in lockstep with government, executives said here at the Singapore Airshow.

“We are fully aligned with what has been put forward by the Swedish government on this matter – we also continue to work to support and work with our Hungarian partners in the best way we can,” Mikael Franzén, chief marketing officer at Saab told Defense News.

“We expect that if such a decision was granted approval by the Swedish government, it would be a fairly rapid process to send the aircraft to Ukraine. We are moving in the right direction currently,” he added.

What was expected to be a rather quick process of admitting the Nordic state into the military alliance has turned to be an 18-month ordeal, now delayed by Hungary, which has yet to ratify the protocol for its accession.

A senior member of the country’s ruling party told local media this week that the Hungarian parliament could vote as early as Feb. 26 on the issue, and the government has indicated its intention to vote in favor of Sweden’s entry.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is also scheduled to meet with his Hungarian counterpart on Feb. 23.

“There remains a big push coming from inside and outside of Sweden for us to send the Gripen to Ukraine, and we stand ready to provide these should a decision be reached by the government on this,” Franzén said.

Saab officials confirmed to Defense News that Ukrainian pilots successfully tested the Gripen jets in Sweden last fall, which observers hailed as a sign that negotiations for their transfer were advancing.

According to Jussi Halmetoja, former Gripen pilot and air operations advisor for Saab, teaching a pilot how to fly the aircraft is easy, but it is only one part of the equation, as they must also learn how to effectively use the combat systems.

“On average it takes between 4-6 months to train a pilot to use the Gripen JAS39 fighter in the techniques for a limited mission set such as air-to-air and beyond-visual-range,” he told Defense News at the airshow.

“One of the initial challenges that can easily be overcome is language barriers, but teaching them about maintaining the aircraft and using its weapons as well as tactics, techniques and procedures properly are harder ones,” he added.

Thus far, the only Western fighter jets to have received formal approval to be sent to Ukraine are Denmark and the Netherland’s U.S.-made F-16s, which are to be transferred as soon as pilot training is completed.

Japanese companies have for decades focused on supplying the Japan Self-Defense Forces, but a shift in the country’s security policy has opened the local defense industry to the global market. Japan has since shipped Patriot missiles developed under a licensing agreement with the U.S., exported radars to the Philippines, and entered into a fighter jet development program with the United Kingdom and Italy.

While Japan’s ruling party has yet to modify rules currently limiting the trilateral fighter jet participation, the government has allocated funds for industry cooperation and supported major defense companies and startups in partnering with foreign counterparts.

As such, Japanese exhibits at the Singapore Airshow showcased a range of systems already in use by its armed forces, including maritime and transport aircraft, helicopters, aerospace parts, semiconductors, radars, and geostationary satellites.

“There is a lot of opportunity for Japanese companies to enter into the global market, but the problem with Japanese companies is they have no experience like foreign companies,” Hideki Fukawa, director for defense equipment cooperation planning with the ministry’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, told Defense News. “We want to take this opportunity to showcase Japanese superiority in defense.”

Among the products on display here are a portable radar made by IT and electronics specialist NEC Corp. Japan’s forces use the technology to monitor aircraft incursions in the airspace of Kyushu and Okinawa.

Yoichi Kashima, an engineer and member of the company’s marketing staff, told Defense News the current iteration of the radar system has been monitoring Japanese airspace for the last 17 years, as it had replaced the first-generation radar of the same type, which was in service 30 years ago.

The radars last for 20 years, Kashima said, but the main selling points are its portability and the ease of setup. “It can be set up by six engineers, and it can be used within 30 minutes,” he explained.

Also at the air show is Subaru’s UH-2 multimission helicopter — aircraft the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force currently uses to protect islands, provide humanitarian assistance, and carry out disaster response as well as and search and rescue operations.

In 2022, the force revealed plans to acquire 150 UH-2 helicopters.

Japan has marketed the UH-2 for export, with the Philippines and Indonesia each expressing interest, according to Kousuke Ichinomiya, an engineer with Subaru’s aerospace division.

“The JGSDF has a very tough audit for helicopters, so this is very reliable,” Ichinomiya told Defense News.

The helicopter is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 engines and equipped with Bell BasiX-Pro integrated avionics systems. It has a 4,500-pound cargo capacity and can be prepped for takeoff in 3 minutes even in extremely hot or cold conditions.

According to the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, other Japanese companies attending the show, and their respective offerings, include:

• Asahi Metal Industry: aircraft composite parts
• EdgeCortix: Edge AI inference processor
• Oki Electric Industry: cockpit display
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries: P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, C-2 transport aircraft and turbofan engines
• Kurimoto: 3D metal modeling engine parts
• Jupiter Corp.: mobile hygiene unit
• SKY Perfect JSAT: satellite communication service
• Takagi Steel: metal materials for aircraft
• Japan Radio Co.: portable LTE base station system
• Mitsufuji: electromagnetic shield and wristband-type wearable device

The Taurus is the local technology company’s latest remote-operated product, shown for the first time publicly.

The firm completed development of the four-wheel drive electric vehicle last year, but does not have a launch customer, hence its unveiling at the air show this week, a company representative told Defense News on the condition of anonymity.

ST Engineering says the robot can be used for surveillance, casualty evacuation, logistics transport and material handling. The representative said the surveillance configuration has attracted the most interest. For material handling, the firm would fit the vehicle with a robotic arm.

The version at the show featured the company’s DrN-15 multirotor drone, which can fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight. The drone received approval for flight by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

When operating in fully electric mode, it can reach distances of about 19 miles and has a base weight of approximately 3,527 pounds.

The representative said the Taurus is useful for manned-unmanned teaming, such as operating alongside the firm’s own eight-wheel drive Terrex s5 infantry fighting vehicle, also launched at the show.

ST Engineering recently doubled down on efforts to present Singapore-made and -designed autonomous ground vehicles, including the Hunter tracked platform, developed as a private venture by the company.

The drone, dubbed Hermes 650 Spark, is the latest member of Elbit System’s Hermes family of systems that have existed for decades.

“The Hermes 650 sits in between the 450 and 900 variants, it can carry 260 kilograms of useful payload spread across two payload bays, and can fly within a line-of-sight range of 300 kilometers with satellite communication capabilities,” Ziv Avni, vice president of business development at Elbit, told Defense News.

Avni said the new variant is able to fly beyond the operator’s line of sight and has an endurance of up to 24 hours. Although the platform wasn’t made for a specific customer, it integrates three key features that buyers have identified as important to them, he added.

“For our general customer base, we have noticed that keeping the life-cycle maintenance cost low — so overall cost-effectiveness — is important, as well as increasing the operational flexibility of flying at different speeds and taking off or landing on short runways,” Avni noted.

The Hermes 650 is able to take off from runways measuring less than 200 meters (656 feet). The company told Defense News it is already under contract from an unspecified customer to begin serial production next year.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is one of the oldest operators of the Hermes 450, which was one of two drones it had on static display at the air show. The other was the Heron 1, manufactured by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Singapore often looked to Israel as a key drone supplier, but this could change as the island nation aims to further invest in sovereign capabilities.

Avni declined to comment on whether the Singaporean service expressed interest in the newest variant, but did say he expects the Hermes 650 Spark “will eventually replace the Hermes 450 some customers operate.”

In theory, he added, it would only be a matter of a few weeks for operators to transition from flying one model to the other.

“Many of our customers now want a mixed fleet for drone operations. For instance, if a country is very big, it could choose to opt for the Hermes 900, as it has a greater endurance to carry out monitoring, and use the 650 to survey areas closer to shore,” Avni noted.

Elbit has heavily advertised the new drone for maritime security and border patrol missions. The configuration presented at the show was true to size and featured electronic warfare sensors.

Malaysia’s defense capabilities have historically been highly dependent on foreign suppliers, and Russia has been among Kuala Lumpur’s main dealers in the aerospace sector.

This appears to be changing, as the Russian-made aircraft the country operates are now facing a number of shortcomings. In 2017, Malaysia retired from service its MiG-29 fighter aircraft and has also struggled to keep its Su-30MKM ground-attack aircraft operational.

At the Singapore Airshow here, a Malaysian Air Force jet, a Moscow-supplied Su-30, was one of the only visible displays of military equipment made in Russia. At some point in the future, there may be next to none at all left flying, according to the plane’s pilot, who asked to remain unnamed for security reasons.

The West’s sanctions against Russia represent one of the key reasons why the government is looking to buy elsewhere, the pilot told Defense News.

Bans placed on Moscow after its troops invaded Ukraine are preventing Malaysia from buying the Su-30 directly from the Kremlin, implying that existing stocks of spare ones could run out, an analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies found.

One of the countries attempting to jump into the business is South Korea, which signed a contract last year to provide 18 Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets to Malaysia.

On Jan. 27, South Korea and Malaysia also held defense talks in Seoul to discuss boosting bilateral security partnerships and joint drills.

Malaysia has also launched a renewed effort at building up its own defense industrial base. With the launch of the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030, and an increase in its defense budget, the country is looking to position itself as Southeast Asia’s strongest aerospace market.

A report published this year by the U.S. International Trade Administration highlighted that the Malaysian government “hopes to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities of defense products through collaboration and technology transfer.”

Malaysia is home to over 200 aerospace companies, including both international and local industry actors, the report noted.