Military display: Mohamed Khaled (left) inspecting an Oerlikon 35mm twin cannon during the Panah Jaguh Exercise Series 2/2024 at the Tanjung Logok surface-to-air range in Kota Tinggi. — Bernama
KOTA TINGGI: The contract for the lease of four Black Hawk helicopters for the army is likely to be cancelled, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the army had been tasked with exploring alternatives to the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk should the lease be cancelled.
“Next Wednesday is Oct 30, the deadline for the delivery of the Black Hawk helicopters.
“As such, the contract will likely be cancelled and we need to consider other options,” he said in response to media queries about the helicopters due for delivery by this month.
Mohamed Khaled had earlier witnessed the army’s Panah Jaguh Exercise Series 2/2024 at the Tanjung Logok surface-to-air range here yesterday.
“We must understand that the initial Black Hawk deal was for a five-year lease, not a permanent purchase.
“In the event of any cancellation, I have asked the army to find another alternative for the five-year period for its use,” he said, adding that the army’s technical team would evaluate alternatives.
Last month, Mohamed Khaled said his ministry had given Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd until October to deliver the four helicopters to the army, with the warning that the contract would be cancelled if the vendor fails to meet the deadline.On July 16, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said Aerotree Defence and Services had cited the ongoing war in Ukraine as one of the reasons for the procurement delay.
On an unrelated matter, Mohamed Khaled said the full report on the navy’s KD Pendekar vessel, which sank in the waters off Tanjung Penyusop here on Aug 25, would be released soon.
“The ship has already been brought to a location where detailed investigations can be conducted to determine the cause of the incident,” he said in a request for an update.
On Aug 28, Arman San Hermansa, who served in the navy’s Diving and Mine Warfare headquarters, died while recovering the wreckage of KD Pendekar, which sank following a leak believed to have been caused by hitting an underwater object.
The vessel sank two nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Penyusop at 3.54pm while on an operational assignment.
Commenting on Budget 2025, Mohamed Khaled expressed his gratitude for the higher allocation given to his ministry.
“We are grateful to be among the ministries given the highest allocation – an increase of up to 7% compared with the previous year,” he said.
When tabling Budget 2025, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM21.2bil for the Defence Ministry.
