KOTA TINGGI: The lease contract for the four Black Hawk helicopters for the Malaysian Army is likely to be cancelled, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the army has been tasked with exploring alternatives to the UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters should the cancellation take place.
"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 during a press conference after observing a military exercise at Tanjung Logok here.
He said this in response to queries from the press regarding an update on the Black Hawk helicopters, which were reportedly due for delivery by this month.
"We must understand that the initial Black Hawk deal was for a five-year lease, not a permanent purchase. In the event of cancellation, I have asked the army to find another alternative for the five-year period of the army’s use," he added, noting that the army’s technical team will evaluate the alternatives.
Last month, Mohamed Khaled stated that his ministry had given Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd until October to deliver the four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the Malaysian Army.
He warned that the helicopter lease contract would be cancelled if the vendor failed to meet the deadline.
On July 16, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari was reported to have said that 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 procurement delay.
