BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER CONTRACT TO BE VOIDED IF NOT DELIVERED BY OCT 30 - KHALED

KOTA TINGGI, Oct 24 (Bernama) -- The contract for four leased UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters supplied by Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd to the Malaysian Army (TDM) will be voided if delivery is not completed by Oct 30.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) would seek alternative options to replace the helicopter lease contract.

“I have requested the army to look for alternatives as the helicopters are intended as a stop-gap measure for five years to serve the army’s needs,” he told reporters after attending the Panah Jaguh Series 2/2024 exercise at the Tanjung Logok Surface-to-Air Range here today.

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Previously, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) was reported to be reviewing the lease agreement for the four Black Hawk helicopters before deciding whether to cancel the contract or extend the supplier’s deadline.

In May last year, Mindef signed a five-year lease contract for the helicopters with local firm Aerotree Defence and Services, valued at RM187 million.

When asked about Mindef’s allocation in Budget 2025, Khaled said there was a six to seven per cent increase in the ministry’s budget for next year compared to 2024.

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He said the allocation would allow Mindef to continue modernising ATM assets.

“We will proceed with projects like the LCS (Littoral Combat Ships), LMS (Littoral Mission Ships), and others, including helicopter procurement.

“All of these have been included in next year’s allocated budget,” he added.

During the tabling of Budget 2025 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last Friday, Mindef received an allocation of RM21.2 billion, an increase of RM1.4 billion compared to 2024. The allocation includes RM5.8 billion dedicated to maintenance, repairs, and procurement of new military assets.

In another development, Mohamed Khaled informed that a full report on the KD Pendekar sinking incident off the coast of Tanjung Penyusup, Kota Tinggi, on Aug 25, will be available soon.

“The ship has been taken out of the water and moved to a location where a detailed investigation into the cause will be conducted. The report will be released in the near future,” he stated.

On Aug 25, the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) confirmed that KD Pendekar had suffered leakage and flooding, believed to have been caused by a collision with an underwater object during an operational task.

The leak was first detected in the engine room and quickly became uncontrollable, but all 39 crew members were safely rescued after attempts to control the flooding and stabilise the vessel failed.

A few days later, Navy diver Leading Seaman 1 Arman San Hermansa tragically lost his life while conducting a salvage operation on the vessel.

-- BERNAMA