SHAH ALAM: Army takes delivery of recovery vehicles. The Army has taken delivery of two Volvo heavy vehicles recovery trucks. The delivery was confirmed by a post by the Australian Defence Force in Malaysia social media page.
The post contained images of one of the Volvo heavy recovery vehicle and it showed Army personnel being trained on them. An Australian website, Defence Connect, on Oct. 11 reported on the contract.
Volvo FMX Heavy Recovery Vehicle
Volvo Group Australia has dispatched a shipment of specialised military vehicles to Malaysia, launching what it hopes will be a new export initiative for the company, for Queensland and for Australia.
In a world-first export deal for Volvo in Australia, the team at the company’s headquarters in Wacol, Brisbane, took two years to plan and adapt the two civilian Volvo FMX trucks to meet the highly specific requirements of military heavy recovery vehicles.
Vice president of state and federal sales at Volvo Group Australia, Jon Mclean, described the export as significant for Australian engineering and manufacturing, with the potential to be just the start of a new line of defence exports for Australia.
“These vehicles are like nothing ever before produced here in Australia,” Mclean said.Designed to operate off-road in demanding operational conditions, they can lift and tow the full range of military vehicles weighing up to 30 tonnes.
The contract of the Volvo recovery vehicles was first reported by Shephard Media at the Defence and Security Exhibition in Bangkok, last year. I was told that the Volvo recovery vehicles were ordered as a variation of the the AV8 Gempita contract. I am not sure whether this means that we are only getting 255 Gempitas then.
If that is the case we will only getting seven Recovery variant of the Gempitas then instead of nine originally ordered. The Recovery Gempita I was told will be the last of 12 variants of the 8X8 vehicles to be delivered to the Army.
–Malaysian Defence
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Both are currently at Volvo Malaysia in Shah Alam where their operators are being trained by some Australians. The contract originally included a slightly larger number of vehicles. Standard Volvo D13 engine. Although Volvo Australia was awarded the contract it will be Volvo Malaysia [to be expected] that provides support.
Ohh. Volvo FMX. Likely a 8×4 config with twin steer front wheels. From Aussie, eh? But Volvo trucks are also locally assembled here in Malaysia.
“I am not sure whether this means that we are only getting 255 Gempitas then”
This is a question someone needs to ask in the parliment.
As it is from australia it would be better if it was supplied with a more substantial bullbar like this
http://img.virtualshowroom.com.au/FP1300/AUB01MANF/item/53792/53792571O.JPG
The volvo hmx kembalik is most probaly to be used by the bde wksp unit of the jljd whilst the 9 gempita kembalik will be assign to the dbk unit of the jljd intregal to each of the unit equipped with the gempita…
@…
Imposing but unnecessary. The FMX were designed to have better impact resistance compared to their standard hauler, the FM/FH (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpZtYb-VzHg , https://www.volvodefense.com/volvofmx.html). And the higher ground clearance makes any objects it hit to go under the truck.
Tun Dr.Mahathir has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the repair and upgrade of the MiG-29N and Su-30MKM fighter jets and Russia is keen as always in the past to do so. Russia is also keen to sell more jets to Malaysia.Tun Dr.M is wise in this regard.
“… regarding the repair and upgrade of the MiG-29N and Su-30MKM ”
I think it would be wiser if the MiGs could be encashed in some way, such as Russia taking them as payment for sustaining the MKMs.
If you’ve been following our discussions, it would cost too much and yield too little just to get them back in the air, let alone upgrade them.
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I am told that they want to sell more MIGs in return…got nothing to do with MKM deal
@ marhalim
No more MiGs please…
It would be better if we just ask them to officially endorse our use of spares from india, other than getting it straight from russia. A long shot maybe, but no harm to try.
There is a picture from TNI recently ex at south sumatera. Their 60 tons Leopard can cross the bridge easily without stopping the traffic, can be seen also trucks and other vehicles on the bridge while the leo is crossing.
The aquisition of PT91 heavily based on the weight. So, The bridge there is better than here?
Huhuhu….
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It was based on a worst case scenario. That said in 1940, one of German tank units bypassed a French position by using a railway bridge and Guderian in his memoir if I recalled correctly said using railway bridges were off limits during field and staff exercises
lest we forget mh17
@Marhalim
Really? That sound even funnier. Lately I feel that weight limitation becomes just an excuse so PT91 can be selected. All SEA nations has no issue on weight as they know mbt is supposed to be heavy. There is medium tank as complement.
Maybe ATM should change the way of thinking. Or maybe it is not ATM fault because somebody up there has more power to decide.
@Alpha Zulu
Amen to that. RIP to them.
@ romeo
ALL south east asian nations?? There is exactly 2 countries that uses 60ton plus MBTs. Others does not use anything more than 50+ tons.
We have that limitation as that is what most of our bridges are rated to. Of course 60 ton MBT can cross any bridge, but what damage it does to the bridge nobody will know. There is plenty of small 2-3m long bridge in towns and kampungs that you pass everyday without even realizing it is a bridge, and those can be seriously damaged by 60ton MBTs
Also there is also no requirement from ATM 20 years ago for a “medium” tank to complement the MBT.