Can India's Tejas jet beat Turkey's Hürjet in race for Malaysian light fighter aircraft deal?

Both India and Turkey are reportedly vying to supply their light combat jets to the Royal Malaysian Air Force. Amid the tussle, Turkey's TAI displayed is Hurjet at a defence expo in Malaysia recently. The 17th Defense Service Asia Exhibition and Conference was held in the city of Kuala Lumpur between March 28 and 31. Turkey has claimed that its pavilion invited great interest at the defence expo.

Tejas Vs Hurjet

So, what are the features of the Hurjet, and how does it compare with the Tejas? The Turkish aircraft has a maximum speed of 1.4 Mach. Tejas is faster with speeds up to 1.6 Mach. Mach 1 is the speed of sound. While the Hurjet has a payload capacity of over 2,700 kg, Tejas trumps it here too with 5,300 kg. The Hurjet has a range of over 2,200 km. While HAL has not given this statistic, the Tejas' radius of action is 300 km.

In November last year, the Tejas put on a stunning display at the Dubai airshow. It was perceived to be aimed at the Malaysian audience. The HAL has also reportedly announced that it is ready to adapt the Tejas to Malaysia's standards. If India clinches the deal, then it would reportedly be the first export deal involving the Tejas. It might also help Delhi's case with Argentina and Egypt, the other countries reportedly interested in buying the LCA.

Apart from India and Turkey, Malaysia's own ATS with MiG-35, China’s Catic with the L-15, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with the FA-50, and Italy’s Leonardo with the M-346, are reportedly in the running for the Malaysian contract. But the Tejas and Hurjet are considered to be the frontrunners.

If India does end up winning the contract, it would be even sweeter given that Malaysia reportedly floated the tender for fighter jets after incursions by the Chinese military in Malaysian airspace. India has its own border troubles with an aggressive China.