BOEING UPBEAT ABOUT NEM IN BOOSTING M'SIA-US INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCES

By Mikhail Raj Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) - Boeing is upbeat about the New
Economic Model (NEM) unveiled by Prime Minister Najib Razak as it
contains "forward-looking ingredients" that can help bolster industrial
partnerships between Malaysian firms and the world's largest commercial and
defence aircraft manufacturer.

Dennis Muilenburg, Executive Vice-President of the Boeing Company and
President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, who
was in Malaysia earlier this week and had met with Najib here, said the company
aimed to be an enabling partner of the NEM and continue building on its
partnership with the country over the long-haul.

Muilenburg, who also met the prime Minister on the sidelines of the United
Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York in September, said: "We talked about
that partnership and the relationship between the United States and Malaysia,
which is continuing to grow in strength.

"We see Malaysia as an economic powerhouse in the region. The leadership
that Malaysia has demonstrated on the world's stage under Prime Minister Najib
is very important and we are supportive of that as well as on a
country-to-country level," he told Bernama in an interview.

He also commended Najib for his speech at the UN where he called on world
leaders to choose moderation over extremism in efforts to promote world peace.

"The prime minister has obviously played a pivotal role in boosting
Malaysia's position on the world scene.

"We have been very impressed with what he has been doing in Malaysia. We
have been very supportive of his 1Malaysia theme and the NEM that he has
developed, which is now moving forward," he told Bernama in an interview.

Asked on what transpired during their talks in New York, Muilenburg said
they had spoken on the opportunities that the Super Hornet fighter aircraft
programme could bring to Malaysia, as the multi-role fighter aircraft
"represents a way to further bolster that partnership", between the country and
Boeing".

Muilenburg said his visit to Malaysia was aimed at visiting customers and
industrial partners here as part of continuing efforts to be a long-term partner
in the region.

He said Malaysia had been an important partner of Boeing for many decades in
both commercial and defence aircraft.

"We continue to renew and build on this relationship as Boeing is serious
about being a long-term partner," he stressed.

Malaysia had acquired a fleet of 8 F/A-18D Hornets, delivered in the late
1990's for use by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).

"We aim to support this going forward," said Muilenburg, adding that Boeing
had offered its new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft.

When asked to elaborate, he said Boeing and the Malaysian government had
discussed the multi-role combat aircraft of the future in addition to
RMAF's current fleet.

Saying that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet had proven itself as the "world's
best multi-role fighter striker aircraft", he said it also offered several other
advantages to customers, like providing enhanced inter-operability with the
existing fleet and support for ground forces.

It also provides cost and schedule certainty in terms of what can be
delivered.

"We also provide industrial participation (and) if we have industry partners
in Malaysia, like Asian Composites Manufacturing Sdn Bhd supplying parts for
commercial aircraft, we can look to partners for parts manufacture on the
Super Hornets," he said, alluding to the possibility of producing some defence
aircraft parts locally.

Having Malaysian industry participation would be an added advantage for the
country and a key element in the industrial partnership equation against the
backdrop of the NEM, which would include investing in Malaysian talent,
resources and industrial capacity, Muilenburg said.
--BERNAMA


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