171 military assets over 30 years old, says defence minister

PARLIAMENT | Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin has informed the Dewan Rakyat that 171 military assets are over 30 years old.

Of this, 101 belong to the army, 29 from the navy and 34 from the air force.

“When it comes to our assets’ age limit (for usage), it depends on its respective functions,” Khaled said.

However, he did not provide further details on the matter.

The minister was responding to a question from Lim Lip Eng (Harapan -Kepong), who asked for details about the armed forces assets, which have exceeded the three-decade mark since their manufacturing date.

KD Pendekar incident

On a related matter, Lim also asked the government to reveal the reason why a navy fast attack craft, KD Pendekar, sank in August and details of the losses incurred.

Khaled said the authorities have yet to come up with the figures as the investigation is still ongoing, adding that a special task force has been set up to probe the matter.

“This matter must be scrutinised further after the vessel has been floated. The navy is doing salvage work and ensuring the equipment (in the vessel) is in working order and has not gone missing.

“Based on a recent report, the vessel has been successfully floated and is now parked at Tanjung Belungkor.

“The complete report on what caused the incident and the losses incurred can only be revealed once investigations are complete,” he added.

On Aug 25, KD Pendekar sank in the South China Sea off Pengerang, Johor due to a leak in the engine room.

Three days later, navy diver Arman San Hermansa was killed during salvage operations to recover or destroy sensitive materials aboard the ship.

While authorities have not disclosed the circumstances surrounding Arman’s death, a New Straits Times report claimed he is believed to have drowned while installing floats at the wreck site.

On Oct 14, the authorities successfully refloated the vessel.

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