Malaysian air force jet loses contact with base

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) said on Thursday that it has lost contact with one of its Hawk training aircraft, which is believed to have gone missing.

The Hawk 108 training fighter jet took off from an airbase in Kuantan at 11 a.m. local time but lost contact half an hour later, the RMAF said in a statement.

The RMAF has launched a search and rescue operation, the statement added.

Manufactured by British BAE systems, the Hawk 108 is a single-engine training aircraft as well as a combat aircraft.

(CGTN)