KUALA LUMPUR: The Army has no plans to decommission 20 Lipan Bara armoured vehicles made by Thailand's Chaiseri as they are still used for training and operations, says Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari.
Adly said 14 vehicles are deployed with the Royal Armoured Corps in Kota Belud, Sabah, while the remaining six are stationed at the Armoured Training Centre in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
"All the vehicles are still operational and continue to support current operational needs," he told Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Dec 1).
Ikmal Hisham had asked the Defence Minister about TDM’s plans for the 20 Lipan Bara or High Mobility Armoured Vehicles (HMAVs) from Chaiseri, taking into account the recent acquisition of 4x4 Tarantula vehicles produced by local company Mildef.
On the Tarantula procurement, Adly said the Defence Ministry plans to acquire 136 units to meet the Army's operational requirements.
He added that the acquisition aims to enhance the Army's capabilities and readiness in line with national defence needs.
Meanwhile, in response to a question from Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PN-Permatang Pauh) about a review of Leonardo’s AW149 helicopter assembly plant in Melaka, Adly said the ministry was not part of the process to build a new facility in Melaka, as the project is a private-sector collaboration with the state government.
Adly said the project came from trilateral discussions involving the Melaka government, Italian helicopter maker Leonardo, and local company Aviation Sdn Bhd.
He said the plant is linked to the agreement to lease 28 helicopters for government agencies, where the company involved must develop an assembly facility at the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam.
