'Black Hawk helicopter contract to be voided if Oct 30 delivery not met'

The contract for four leased UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters supplied by Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd to the army will be voided if delivery is not completed by Oct 30.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that the Armed Forces 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 in Kota Tinggi today.

Previously, the ministry 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, the ministry signed a five-year lease contract for the helicopters with local firm Aerotree Defence and Services, valued at RM187 million.

6-7pct increase

When asked about the ministry’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.

He said the allocation would allow the ministry to continue modernising the Armed Forces’ 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.

In Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s tabling of Budget 2025 last Friday, the ministry 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.

Report ready soon

Khaled said 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 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, Arman San Hermansa, a mine clearance diver of the Diving and Mine Warfare Headquarters with the rank of Able Seaman I, tragically lost his life while conducting a salvage operation on the vessel.

- Bernama

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