Partnership with Deftech

Via a partnership with Malaysia’s Deftech as the prime contractor, Loring Industries is targeting the refurbishment work of 29 Excess Defense Articles M109A5 155mm Self Propelled Howitzers that Malaysia has accepted from the United States. During DSA 2018, held 16-19 April in Kuala Lumpur, Tim McCabe, Head of Business Development for Loring, told MONCh that the company has had extensive experience in regard to refurbishment of the M109 system, having refurbished some 500 such systems for various FMS customers with the most recent being Iraq.

McCabe said that under the partnership with Deftech, four Deftech technicians would be part of the Loring team working on the Malaysian M109s at Loring’s facility in Maine. The refurbishment work is expected to be completed within four years of contract as the work to refurbish the M109A5 will be extensive and much of the components, including the howitzer barrels will have to be replaced.

“It will take around a year at least to obtain some of the components and parts, as they have to be sourced from US Army stocks which will entail procedures for approval and transfer, or the parts may have to be ordered, which will require a waiting time as these are manufactured to orders,” Mr. McCabe stated.

Mr. McCabe added that 19 M109A5s will be returned to service will the remaining 10 more will be used for cannibalisation of parts and components.

Dzirhan Mahadzir