SHAH ALAM: The Procurement Division of the Defence Ministry has issued two separate 21-day tenders for the procurement of 84mm anti-tank rounds and vehicle-mounted very-high frequency radios for the Army. Meanwhile, the MMEA also floated a 21-day tender for the supply of 30mm practice rounds.
The 84mm anti-round being sought is the Saab made high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) 551 round meant specifically for the latest version of Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle, the M4. The Army is getting 110 M4 launchers and unspecified number of munitions from a tender awarded to Global Combined Technology Sdn Bhd.
The number of the HEAT 551 rounds being sought in the latest tender is 2000. From the specifications page:
The 84 mm Recoilless High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) round is intended
to counter heavily armoured target by penetrating armoured vehicles to the
depth. This HEAT round shall be able to destroy enemy tanks or other hard
skin vehicle at effectives ranges out to 700 meters with a maximum impact
to the targets. It shall initiate by penetrating the first reactive engagement to
the spaced armour (first layer of armour plate) and the second reactive with
maximum destruction to destroy the targets. It shall be able to be used with
in-service Carl Gustaf M4
According to Saab
The rocket-assisted HEAT 551 allows dismounted soldiers to defeat the majority of armoured vehicles and MBTs in side or rear aspect.
The 110 M4 on order is likely to have been delivered to the Army as the pre-delivery inspections were done in May.
Meanwhile, the vehicles VHF radio sets being sought is 113. The indicative price for the radios is RM38.939 million. It is likely another tender for the vehicles will be published soon to carry the radios.
The public specifications for the radio tender:
RADIO KOMUNIKASI VERY HIGH FREQUENCY (VHF) – VEHICULAR UNTUK TENTERA DARAT
As for the 30mm practice rounds, MMEA is seeking to buy 1120 30mm (30X173) target practice rounds and 280 30mm (30X173) target practice-tracer rounds. The practice and practice tracer rounds are meant for the Aselsan SMASH remote weapon stations with the 30mm cannon installed on the six Bagan Datuk class patrol boats and the KM Tun Fatimah OPV in service with the MMEA. The indicative cost for the practice rounds is RM2.499 million.
I could be wrong, but it is likely that MMEA does not have 30mm practice rounds in stock as they had to go to Lumut naval base to get them when they were conducting sea trials for Tun Fatimah, last year. It is also unclear whether MMEA has live 30mm ammo for the guns as well as the agency has not issued any tender for them. Perhaps a stock of live 30mm ammo were procured when they bought the six RWS for the Bagan Datuk class the last time around.
Note that the practice rounds being bought are small. The two ammunition boxes on a SMASH RWS can carry up to 150 rounds and the M44 Bushmaster II cannon has can fire up to 200 rounds per minute. Due to the high rate of fire, each NGPC and OPV should be carrying at least 5,000 30mm rounds while on patrol. It must be noted that the cost of a single 30mm live round is RM1000 based on previous Army and RMN tenders for them.
–Malaysian Defence
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TLDM ironically has 3 different types of 30mm ammo in service
– 30x165mm for KD Keris – H/PJ-17
– 30x173mm for KD Kedah – Mauser
– 30x170mm for KD Kasturi, Lekiu, Gagah Samudera – DS30B
By getting new M4, does this mean RPG will slowly phase out?
The M4 is to replace the old M2. The RPG replacement I was told will be the LAWs and C90 Instanza. The Goose is part of the support company weapons while the RPG is held at the platoon/section/squad level.
Why aren’t the army buy guided munitions for their M4?
I think they will buy different ammo in batches as I was told the Army wants them, the guided ones, as it is supposed to be cheaper than the ATGW launchers and missiles. It will be much cheaper if we buy them direct from the manufacturer but of course, we prefer buying them through …
Question, why wouldn’t Army specifies for HEAT 751 round? Or mixes of HEAT 551 and HEAT 751? I assume it’s a tandem warhead compared to HEAT 551 which is not a tandem warhead and should have more penetrating performance. Maybe due to costs issue?
No idea, really.
Oddly the tender description of “first reactive on spaced armour” & “second reactive” would indicate a tandem charge function warhead. Or was 551 made to penetrate ERA protected armour as well? Or is it not 551 and rather 751 instead?
Its 551.
As far as I know, the only guided munition for the Carl Gustaf is Raytheon’s laser guided GMM (Guided Multipurpose Munition):-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guided_Multipurpose_Munition
It has been tested but it does not seem to have gone into production. It can only be used against light armoured vehicles.
Wonder if some M4s will end up with the RMN. The RMN has been operating M2s for decades now. The main means of “anti ship” for units in the Spratlys.
On the 30mm ammo on ships; I think the actual magazines he only has space for a couple of hundred rounds or do. Guns on fighters have a high ROF but only about a hundred rounds are carried due to space constraints and the fact that a fighter will never be in a position where it has to be in a protected gun fight. Same with a MMEA ship; the 30mm is there as a self defence means. Unlikely that large amounts of ammo will be needed.
I understand the reason fighter jets has only limited ammount of ammo. For an 80 meter ship like KM Tun Fatimah, there is enough space to carry more. Yes it is for self defence but its ridiculous for them to carry less than 1,000 rounds of ammo during patrol for that reason.
I get what you’re driving at Marhalim but my point is whether a MMEA ship will ever be in a position where it will use up that much ammo; even taking into account that a short burst will expand several rounds.
M2 for layang2 defence is just pathetic. At least station a battery of Oto Melara there
Also we have plenty of decommissioned Sibmas why won’t we store a platoon worth of vehicle in the island. Those 90mm can still pack a mean punch (it’s the same gun used by indon PT-76 tank)
None of the Sibmas are available for such duty. I have seen pictures of at least a single 40mm Bofor gun at the facility in the past. Whether its active or not currently is beyond me.
Speaking of which, since SMASH being deck surface mounted, means its ammo will need to be manually reloaded right? So I dont think its meant for protracted gun fights anyhow. With a stabilised mount and EO guided, there is a lot more precision to gun firing.
Yup its need to be manually reloaded. It is meant for protracted gun fight.
“It is meant for protracted gun fight.”
But once the loaded magazine have been depleted it will need to manually loaded so it cant really do that while in combat right? Looking at the mount it appears to be dual feed, so I guessing each feed magazine can hold about 50-100 rounds.
Sailors has been reloading ammo on cannons in combat since the invention of gunpowder and cannons. Yes it is is safer if the magazine is under the deck.
“Sailors has been reloading ammo”
Hmm, i cant imagine it would be like if the ammo lockers are not located beside the gun, where crew have to lug it over the distance on an open gundeck exposed to direct & splinter fire, when the boat is traveling at full speed 24knots, making twist & turns to evade and get into positions, all while the gun itself is remotely aiming at the enemy boat. On a manned gun, the guncrew would have some semblance about the reload team but I am doubtful when its aimed & fired remotely.
But i guess such intense scenarios would be something akin to TLDM and not the business of MMEA.
They have ammo lockers near the gun for this. The bigger ammo locker is usually inside the hull usually where the other guns and ammo are kept.
dundun – ”M2 for layang2 defence is just pathetic. At least station a battery of Oto Melara there”
The M2 is for close in work. A howitzer would be redundant and useless if there is no FO and the targets are at a distance and moving. There are L/70s on Layang Layang. Before claiming it’s silly; ask the circumstances a M2 would be used in. BTW a M2 has been used against a naval ship before; South Georgia against a corvette.
dundun – ”Those 90mm can still pack a mean punch ”
If the target is un range and if the gun is mounted in a stabilised mount with the right FCS.
Most ammo on ships is stored centrally in a magazine. For some weapons [30/20mm below] there is a box located nearby which contains under padlock ammo/flares. If it has to be replenished; ammo is taken from the magazine; i.e. the Emerlecs which were on the Kasturis and Marikhs or theL/70s on various ships. For some guns; i.e. deck penetrating main guns; the only ammo carried are those stored in its ammo stowage; beneath the gun.