SHAH ALAM: The Condors deployed to the Malaysian unit in UNIFIL – Malbat 850-5 – will be shipped home in batches to undergo refurbishment and upgrades.
Armed Forces Chief Gen Raja Affandi Raja Muhammed Nor says the Armored Re-manufacturing Program (ARP) will allow the Condors to continue serving the Army for the foreseeable future.
He confirmed that the Weststar Guardian armored security vehicle (ASV) will replaced the Condors for the UNIFIL mission. He however says the numbers and timeline for the replacement of the Condors will depend on the financial allocation from the government. He made the comments after attending the demobilization ceremony for Malbatt 850-4 at Port Dickson. Malbatt 850-5 replaced 850-4 last month.
Previously Malaysian Defence had also posted on the upgrade program for the Condors which is being undertaken by Deftech
Raja Affandi was asked to comment on the replacement of the Condors by the Guardian which was first announced by Deputy Defense Minister Datuk Seri Johari Baharum recently. For more go here.
As posted previously, Weststar Defence had partnered with UAE-based IAG to offer the Guardian to the armed forces.
Asked what kind of weapons will armed the Guardians, Raja Affandi says it will likely be limited to the 12.7mm machine-guns. “From our experience in peacekeeping operations, it is not necessary to have the most biggest gun out there,” he says when asked whether Malbatt will not have the same firepower with the withdrawal of the Condors.
The Condors deployed to Lebanon are mostly equipped with the twin 7.62mm machine guns in a one-man turret though the variant with the 20mm cannon are also available. Some Condors have pintle mount for the GMPG while the ambulance version are also deployed as well.
–Malaysian Defence
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@ marhalim
Both 20mm and 7.62mm twin are one man turrets
BTW i have written a few long repies that is totally missing…
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If you willing to redo it sent them to me via email.
Hope they could source some of these Condor for the GOF and for ESSZone
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They got Gempita and Lipanbara in ESSZone. They will only send new stuff there as some people might just used that to say something bad about the Armed Forces. You know these days one can create a ruckus for nothing.
Wish you guys a very good morning to all the readers here. I’m wondering how thick the armor and what bullet size the armor can withstand?
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Condor should be good for 7.62mm AP rounds, STANAG II for the Guardian 7.62mm API rounds
I feel we should send new stuff there as those are the units most likely to see action. It’s been said before that luckily for us, the Condors have not faced RPGs.
The new gear and procedures should also be validated in rough conditions.
Agree with AM. Perfect opportunity to test out AV-8 actually. Why is it that we have to buy Guardians? What happened to the rest of the vehicle fleet?
Also I suspect the Condors are being SLEP-ed because the AV-8s are too pricey… any idea if the contract terms locked in USD or MYR?
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The more the merrier
How cost-effective is this? It’s probably cheaper to buy new Lipanbara with upgraded STANAG II protection than to ship the Condors home and refurbish. When the US Army left Afghanistan, it left behind hundreds of vehicles deemed to be not cost-effective to ship home. I’m surprised that the bean counters didn’t raise a ruckus
The condors have faced RPG in Bakara market. RPG 1, Condor 0.
Driver killed immediately as RPG hit windshield directly
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Corporal Mat Aznan did not die immediately. I am not sure how long he survived but he was conscious for some time following the attack.
If it’s worth enough, they will bring it back. They brought back plenty of MRAPs.
“Agree with AM. Perfect opportunity to test out AV-8 actually. ”
It isn’t only about torture testing the vehicle. All land assets should be validated in the majority of the country’s terrain.
In the tactical sense, there will always be areas where vehicles cannot pass because of obstacles, soil conditions or bridge limits.
In the strategic sense, a vast territory like Sabah can offer lessons on the strategic mobility and responsiveness of Gempita units over long distances.
As I have said before, air mobile forces are probably the only way to respond quickly over such a large territory. The units and vehicles we have there need not be too heavily armed, armoured or large.