KUALA LUMPUR: Weststar Group is looking to strengthen its footprint in the defence sector in Malaysia, leveraging the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (NATSEC) Asia 2026 exhibitions, as the segment currently contributes about 25 per cent to its overall business.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Defence Industries Sdn Bhd, Westar's defence arm, Datuk Arsad Abd Salam, said that within ASEAN, the group has exported vehicles only to Timor-Leste and Brunei to date.
Weststar, a conglomerate best known for its dominant role in offshore helicopter transportation, automotive and defence industries, is making a strategic push to enhance its visibility alongside global industry leaders.
Arsad added that the company’s current operational philosophy is to reduce reliance on foreign-sourced solutions by actively engaging in technology transfer and localisation programmes.
This approach ensures that local industry players gain expertise in high-end maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services.
"We don’t merely want to be agents (of other companies). Our goal is to be an industrial partner that contributes to the development of our national defence ecosystem,” he told Bernama on the sidelines of the DSA and NATSEC Asia 2026 exhibitions yesterday.
Speaking on the shift in modern warfare, Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd CEO Datuk Wan Hasmar Azim Wan Hassan noted that the landscape is now dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially following ongoing conflicts in West Asia.
He emphasised that UAVs have become the primary ’war game’, and military agencies themselves are leading the development of the doctrines and specialities required for this new era of defence as the technology continues to emerge.
"We need to understand what they need. To provide that, we position ourselves accordingly. That is why we (Weststar) have UAVs, ground vehicles and helicopters,” he added.
Both Arsad and Wan Hasmar Azim also emphasised that the group’s business model is focused on long-term capability building, rather than short-term commercial gains. - Bernama
