BAE, Airod Renew Parnership To Upgrade Hawk Aircraft

LANGKAWI (Kedah, Malaysia), March 22 (Bernama) -- British aerospace giant, BAE Systems Plc, renewed its partnership with local aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, Airod Sdn Bhd, to upgrade the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) fleet of Hawk MK208 aircraft. BAE Systems Hawk Programme Director Mike Swales said the upgrade of avionic systems were to equip the Hawk with the latest technology and ensure the aircraft met future operational requirements. "BAE Systems will undertake to design, manufacture and certification works with Airod responsible for the integration of the system into the aircraft under the three-year contract," he told reporters after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and exchange of documents between both companies here Wednesday. Swales signed the MoU on behalf of BAE Systems while Airod was represented by its Director Edron Hayata Ahmad. "The key element here is the transfer of technology into Airod. We are still working on the actual value hence, it is not wise to discuss that at the moment," he said. BAE Systems Malaysia Managing Director John Brosnan said the renewed partnership would strengthen collaboration efforts since RMAF started acquiring the Hawk aircraft. "Airod and Hawk have been supporting each other for 25 years now, and renewing the partnership would ensure we increase the capabilities of the aircraft and lengthen its lifespan to give good value to RMAF's aircraft," he added. --BERNAMA