Kuala Lumpur: Boeing is upbeat about the New Economic Model (NEM) unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun 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.
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