SHAH ALAM: Back in January 2021, Malaysian Defence wrote about the Army getting 27 all-terrain vehicles (ATV) from Go Auto Sdn Bhd which was funded under the Op Benteng urgent operational requirement. The LOA for the 27 ATV which includes two helmets, two pairs of gloves and two sets of knees and elbow pads, was RM1.2 million. This means each ATV costs some RM45,500 per vehicle.
These two-seater ATVs are the Taiwanese manufactured TGB Blade 600 LTX EPS painted in the now familiar Army digital camouflage just like the other vehicles in the service. The Blade retail price in the US is some $9256 (RM43,913).
The training for the ATV were conducted by Angkut units of the Kor Perkhidmatan DiRaja (KPD) before the vehicles were handed out to the infantry units.
The Army, it appears, like the ATV, as the Ordnance Division has issued three separate quotation notices to supply ten of the vehicles for units conducting border patrols in the northern peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak – for a total of thirty. This was the same reason the division issued similar notices for ebikes and NVGs, recently.
Based on the specifications issued it is likely Go Auto will be the favourite to win the tender as it had already supplied the same ATVs previously. As with the Op Benteng, the requirement called for a two-seater ATV with four-wheel drive just like the Blade ATV. The bidder will also have to supply two pairs of helmets, two pairs of leather gloves and two sets of knee and elbow pads.
There was no estimated price listed in the three notices specifications pages. I am guessing that it will not be more than RM500,000 for each notice. The notices were published on April 3 and closes on April 10.
— Malaysian Defence
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The army need to insist these quadbikes to be installed with a rollover protection device like this
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GKdm3YFbIAAZXFs.jpg
Rollover on a quadbike can cause very serious injuries or even death. Picture of a rollover test of a quadbike without rollover protection device
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GKdntbaacAAiCVB.jpg
“with a rollover protection device”
Go Auto can add it on their tab as a “thank you for doing business with me”…assuming they got the contract lah.
Just as vital as a ”a rollover protection device” is for the engines/exhausts to be muffled. These things are loud and can be heard from miles away.
They need to explore e-ATVs or built it themselves. Not hard task for the boffins in MoD.
Not much coverage on the drones programme of Malaysia. What are cooking wrt to air, land, surface (marine), underwater autonomous vehicle, gliders?
Philip – “boffins”
This is not the War Office or Air Ministry in WW2 Britain. There are no “boffins” in the MOD.
There is not much drone coverage because there isn’t much news. The army received a handful of Chinese UASs [not DJI] and the RMN Scaneagles courtesy of the U.S. and that’s pretty much it.
As for the other stuff you mentioned; apart from paper plans nothing’s ‘cooking’.