A total of 43 contracts worth RM10.128 billion were finalised by the Ministry of Defense during the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (LIMA ’23) to date including 20 contract documents, 21 Letters of Agreement (LoA) and two Letters of Intent (LoI).
All the contract agreements were witnessed by the Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan at the signing ceremony of the contract documents, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), LoA and LoI at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Center (MIEC), in Langkawi today (May 25).
“This morning we can hold a signing ceremony for the letters of agreement for those who have been decided by the government to either make purchases from them or carry out cooperation or those who already have an agreement with us for the next three or five years.
“There should be a lot more but we are reassessing the contract to make an assessment in particular re-examining the matter and I hope we will be able to receive the acquisition of this asset in good condition and within the stipulated time frame,” said Mohamad at a press conference after the ceremony.
Meanwhile in a statement, the Ministry of Defense announced a number of acquisitions of new defense assets that are being implemented to further strengthen the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).
According to the statement, the Malaysian Army (TDM) will receive four Sikorsky UH-60A+ Black Hawk Helicopters that serve as a platform for the Nucleus Team for the purpose of training and operational flight assignments through rental from Aerotree Defense & Services Sdn Bhd.
For the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), the ongoing procurement involves 18 units of FA-50 Fighter-Lead-In-Trainer/Light Combat Aircraft (FLIT-LCA) which will be obtained from Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd (KAI).
In addition, the RMAF will also acquire three units of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and related support category Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Phase 1 from Turkish Aerospace Industries and two units of maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) Phase 1 and related equipment from Leonardo S.P.A.
In addition, the Ministry of Defense is currently planning to acquire more defense assets under the next Malaysia Plan.
“Although the country is still facing the economic impact of the pandemic and has to deal with the budget that has been allocated by the government, the Ministry of Defense and ATM remain committed to working together to ensure that defense and preparedness are at an optimal level,” according to the statement.
At the event, eight MoUs between the National Defense University of Malaysia (UPNM) and stakeholders were also held, represented by the Vice Chancellor of UPNM, Lieutenant General Datuk Hasagaya Abdullah and witnessed by the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
