Malaysia will deploy three locally made spy planes along the coast of Sabah to intensify efforts to curb an expected surge in Filipino illegal immigrants, reports said Tuesday.

The three Eagle ARV light spy planes, designed for manned or unmanned surveillance, would be put to the test next month to detect intrusions and cross-border activities, said Defense Minister Najib Razak.

"The aircraft will be our weapon. When it detects small boats, we can immediately deploy combat ships to investigate," Najib was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

He said the planes, worth RM47 million each, were originally scheduled to be tested at the end of the year but would be deployed earlier than expected to heighten monitoring activities on the coast.

Army on alert

Last Wednesday, Malaysian armed forces were placed on alert to boost patrols of high-risk areas along the Sabah coast following a recent influx of Filipino illegal immigrants.

Najib has said the number of migrants entering the state from the southern Philippines increased last month, following intensified operations by the Philippine armed forces against Abu Sayyaf rebels in the south of the country.

He added that some 150 Filipino illegal immigrants had been detained in the state over two weeks in June. -AFP