KOTA TINGGI: The Defence Ministry has given Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd until October to deliver four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the Army.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the helicopter lease contract would be cancelled if the vendor fails to meet this deadline.
“We are giving them until October for delivery. If the Black Hawk helicopters are not delivered by then, the contract will be cancelled,” he told reporters after the opening of My Villa at Dewan Felda Air Tawar 3 yesterday.
He was responding to a question about the ministry’s actions concerning the delayed delivery of the helicopters.
However, Mohamed Khaled said the ministry has no alternative plans if the contract for the four helicopters is cancelled.
“Other plans will be made after the cancellation,” he added, Bernama reported.
Last month, Mohamed Khaled said the ministry had received feedback from the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) regarding the proposed cancellation of the Black Hawk helicopter lease contract for the Army.
On July 16, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said Aerotree Defence and Services, the company responsible for the helicopter lease, had cited the ongoing war in Ukraine as one of the reasons for the delay in the helicopter’s procurement.
Previously, Army Chief Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan had indicated that a proposal would be submitted to the Defence Ministry to cancel the Aerotree Defence and Services contract if the vendor fails to meet its delivery obligations.
