Malaysia's first prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or pilotless aircraft will be ready for trials in three months, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak.

"In three months' time we will have a full scale model to be tested and only after the test will we decide whether to purchase it," said Najib, who is also defence minister.

"If the UAV meets the specifications especially in its performance, including its onboard cameras and so on, we can place orders for the locally-made UAVs for the Malaysian armed forces," he was quoted as saying by Bernama yesterday

A consortium of three local companies is building the first Malaysian UAV.

Some analysts say that UAVs, or drones, can perform the same functions as manned aircraft, including penetrating enemy air defences and demolishing targets with precision-guided weapons. They have already been combat-tested in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Major arms build-up

Malaysia has announced a major arms build-up in stages over the past few years.

This includes agreements to buy Russian fighter jets for US$900 million, French submarines for US$972 million dollars, British and Russian missile systems for US$364 million and Polish attack tanks worth US$368 million.

Malaysia has denied that its weapons build-up could spark an arms race in the region, saying the purchases were simply designed to upgrade its defences and it had no aggressive intentions.