Malaysia plans to acquire advanced fighter aircraft worth millions of dollars from either the United States or Russia as part of a defence modernisation program, Defence Minister Najib Razak said

today.

Najib declined to give details of the planned purchase but said that an agreement may be signed during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA 2003) defence exhibition in Malaysia in September.

"Some military and civilian aircraft could be considered to be signed during the exhibition. If it is a big deal, we are talking about billions of ringgit," he said.

Deputy airforce chief Abdullah Ahmad said the Russian made Sukhoi-30 and US-made Super Hornet FA-18F were top of the shopping list.

Preference for Russian jets

Malaysia already owns eight FA-18D Super Hornets, but Abdullah indicated that the airforce favoured acquiring the Sukhoi-30, which he described as a multi-role combat aircraft.

"Our technical teams have evaluated the two aircrafts. Negotiations have been going o­n since last year. It is at the tail end now," he told reporters.

"It will be good if we can get the Sukhoi," he said. "It is now related to pricing and mode of payment."

Malaysia has in the past year announced the purchase of three French-built submarines, British and Russian missile systems worth RM1.4 billion and more than 60 tanks from Poland.

Kuala Lumpur's shopping spree has sparked fears of a regional arms race, but Malaysia says its weapons procurement program is for defence, not aggression. - AFP