THE Army has no plans to decommission its 20 Lipan Bara armoured vehicles, manufactured by Thailand’s Chaiseri, as they remain actively used for operations and training, says Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari.
He said 14 of the 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 of these vehicles are fully operational and continue to support current operational requirements,” he told the Dewan Rakyat in response to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah).
Ikmal Hisham had asked about the Army’s plans for the 20 Lipan Bara, considering the recent acquisition of 4x4 Tarantula vehicles produced by local company Mildef. Regarding the Tarantula procurement, Adly said the Defence Ministry plans to acquire 136 units to strengthen the Army’s capabilities and readiness in line with national defence needs.
