Page 41 - Military Technology 03/2017

Regional Overview: ASPAC MT 3/2017 · 39

f A pair of Global Komited’s GK-M1 4x4 vehicles armed with the under the US Excess Defense Article programme, with up to 29 howitzers
Dillon Aero 7.62mm mini-gun at the 2016 National Day parade rehearsals. and supporting vehicles. Tight funding makes the acquisition question-
(All photos by author) able, despite the army’s enthusiasm for the system. With Deftech’s other
business including supplying and supporting the Army’s 3t HANDALAN
general service trucks, with the most recent order being in April 2016
under a MYR73.7 million ($16.4 million) contract for 222 units. Supporting
of the DRB-Hicom group, which has substantial involvement in Malaysia’s the PT-91M tank and the army’s ACV-300 and MIFV tracked vehicles is
financial, property and automotive sectors, including manufacture of the expected to remain steady business, despite the army’s limited finances.
national Proton brand of cars. Boustead Heavy Industries Corp. (BHIC), BHIC is currently in the process of building the first of six LCS based Spotlight on Malaysia
whose work includes maintenance of Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) ships on the DCNS GOWIND-class design. In November 2016, the RMN LCS
and submarines and the building of the LCS, is in turn part of the Boustead Project Team posted on social media that seven of the 16 ship blocks had
Holdings Group, which is heavily involved in the Malaysian finance, been built and fitted to the keel. An industry source confirmed to the author
property and industrial sectors. The defence sector of Sapura Group is though, that ship construction was currently around 10% behind schedule
smaller than the company’s other holdings in telecommunications, oil and due to the need to conduct a second steel cutting, as design changes to
gas, industrial and property development, despite Sapura being heavily the ship’s interior workings meant that some were no longer suitable. The
involved in the armed forces C4I systems and simulators. Global Komited, first ship is planned for service entry in 2019, though it is anticipated this
the agent for the Thales range of ground-based air defence systems in date may slip given that this is a new design and the complexity of inte-
Malaysia and supplier of the STARSTREAK missile system, is only one of grating combat and weapon systems.
nine companies of the Weststar Group; the remaining eight SPAN a gamut On 1 November 2016, in parallel with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
of civilian businesses such as helicopter services, automobile sales, con- Tun Razak’s official visit to China, an agreement was reached between
struction and insurance among others. Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) and China Shipbuilding and Offshore
Significantly, the majority of the principal Malaysian defence com panies International Corp Ltd (CSOS) for the construction of four LMS for the
also have ongoing development programmes with the armed forces and RMN within 24 months of signature, with two to be built in China and
a diverse range of MRO and support programmes on critical combat plat- two in Malaysia. A formal announcement on the programme by Boustead
forms and systems. Irrespective of how the MoD and the armed forces Holdings was made in a filing to the Malaysian Stock Exchange on 4
allocate funding, these companies are expected to be able to gain a share November, stating that BNS had received a non-binding letter of intent
of the available market, albeit not as large a share as they would like. dated 26 October from the government for the supply of these four vessels
for the RMN.
Indigenous Defence Programmes Little has been released on the actual design and specifications of
the ship so far, save that it would be around 65 metres. Adm. Ahmad
Malaysia’s two current indigenous defence programme are the army’s Kamarulzaman, Chief of the RMN, told MT that the LMS would be con-
AV-8 GEMPITA AFV programme and the navy’s LCS, with a third pending figured for but not fitted with anti-ship missiles. On 8 November, Defence
in the form of the LMS. Though official figures have not been released, it Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein told the media that the total cost of
is estimated that around 60 GEMPITA have been delivered in five con- the four ship LMS programme would be capped at a ceiling of RM1 Billion
figurations; the IFV-25 with the SHARPSHOOTER turret and 25mm gun, ($220 million). As of the time of writing no official announcement has been
the AFV-30 with Denel’s LCT 30 turret and 30mm gun, the AFV-30 anti-tank yet made on a formal contract for the programme.
guided weapon (ATGW) with the Denel LCT-30 turret with a 30mm gun and With BHIC already in the process of conducting the refit and overhaul of
Denel INGWE anti-tank missile, the turretless AV command variant with the RMN’s two SCORPENE-class submarines, as well as being the main
a remote-control weapon systems mount and the turretless AV signals naval MRO and providing support and spares for the Royal Malaysian Air
variant. Force’s (RMAF) 12 Airbus H225M helicopters via its joint venture company
The original contract called for 257 vehicles to be delivered by the end BHIC AeroServices and its control of a number of other defence-related
of 2018, but that contract has since been modified for a later delivery subsidiaries, the company is also expected, like Deftech, to be able to
schedule, owing to a combination of limited funds and running changes weather any drop in business caused by current fiscal constraints.
made to the design based on the army’s experience in operating the ve-
hicles already delivered. Deftech is looking at selling an export variant of
the GEMPITA, though it has to be said that the regional and international
market for wheeled AFVs is relatively thin.
Deftech is also expected to complete deliveries of the AV4 LIPANBARA
to the Malaysian army by the middle of this year; 20 vehicles were ordered
in 2016 and it remains to be seen whether the additional vehicles will be
ordered.
Deftech is currently working on an upgrade programme for the army’s
4x4 CONDOR APCs, with a trial upgraded vehicle being evaluated.
Depending on the trial results and available funding, the army should
be making a decision on the programme this year. Deftech’s CONDOR
upgrade involves the replacement of its 168hp Mercedes-Benz engine
with a 215hp Deutz, an independent axle replacing the current rigid axle,
automatic transmission, a new drop box which will increase existing power
from 491Nm at 1600rpm to 800Nm at 1200-1700. Other systems being
upgraded include hydraulics, the engine cooling system, air conditioning,
steering and vision systems.
The vehicle is also to be fitted with a digital system compliant with
MIL-STD-810 G that will allow for the installation of modern digital equip-
ment and a rewiring of the electrical harness to allow it to accommodate
changes, along with the installation of a digital driver panel. A new electrical
open-topped turret with shields has also been installed, with the preferred
weapon to be mounted being the Dillon Aero 7.62mm Hybrid M134D-H
minigun. Some 300 vehicles are in service from the original 459 delivered The Chaiseri FIRST WIN MRAP has been marketed
in 1983-1984, making it a substantial programme should it proceed. as the AV4 LIPANBARA in Malaysia by Deftech,
Originally, the CONDORs were to be entirely replaced by the GEMPITA, which at the same time serves the purpose of erasing
but Malaysia’s fiscal situation has now led to that plan being scrapped for the memory of Deftech’s earlier AV4 design.
the time being.
Deftech is also eying the potential refurbishment and support for the
155mm M109A5 artillery system, should Malaysia purchase it. A letter of Dzirhan Mahadzir is a defence journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur,
intent was signed with the US government in April 2016 on acquisition Malaysia, and a regular contributor to MT.