Defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein said this today, adding that there had been no decision made to ground the aircraft in the meantime, Bernama reported.

Last night, a Hawk 108 fighter jet crashed at the Butterworth Air Force base in Penang, resulting in the death of one pilot and injuries to the other. The RMAF confirmed today that the incident took place during a night flying drill.

The deceased was identified as Mohamad Affendi Bustamy while Mohd Fareez Omar is being treated for injuries at the Seberang Jaya Hospital in Penang. He is reported to be in stable condition.

Hishammuddin said that any decision to ground the aircraft would only be made after the Special Investigation Board had completed its findings on last night’s crash.

He added that the decision on the matter is also subject to the needs of the Malaysian armed forces.

“We are leaving the decision on the matter to the Special Investigation Board, and the Chief of Defence Forces will report their needs,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

The last incident involving an RMAF Hawk 108 fighter jet was in 2017, when one crashed into a swamp in Chukai, Terengganu, killing both pilots onboard.

It was previously reported that between 1996 and 2017, there were nine incidents involving RMAF Hawk 108 fighter jets.