SHAH ALAM: The Procurement Division of the Defence Ministry has issued a tender for the supply and delivery of five Logistics Support Bridges (LSB) for the Army. The tender was published June 11 and closes on July 4, a period of twenty-three days. The LSBs are British Bailey-style prefabricated and quick built bridges which are already in service with the Army and the Public Works Department.
According to the public specifications of the tender:
The Logistic Support Bridge is required by
the Malaysian Army as a line of communication for single-span range 40 m up to 80 m with a road width of 4.2 m to ensure the movement of troops, combat supplies, and other logistical support to the forward troops from and within the Communication Zone are not hindered by enemy actions
A tender for two LSB was published in 2021 and the contract was awarded to Stare Resources Sdn Bhd with a LOA of RM17.2 million. As there is no cost estimates for the tender, I believed the winning bid should be around RM45 million to RM50 million. This is based on the LOA for Stare Resources which sourced the two LSB from China.
The LSBs were delivered last year.
Meanwhile, a tender for five skid steer loaders was also published on June 6 and closes on July 4. The specifications called for:
Skid Steer Loader (Light) Complete with Accessories is a small, rigid-frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other attachments that are required primarily in confined-space work areas. This machine shall also be used for terrain handling, shaping, and levelling with the installation of a variety of
specialized buckets or attachments.
From Wikipedia:
A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSL, or skidsteer is any of a class of compact heavy equipment with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments.
I have not seen an Army skid-steer loader before in person or otherwise, so I have no idea whether these five being sought are the first ones to be in service with the Army’s sapper units. Do note that both the LSB and skid-steers are designated as the Army’s main assets as with the NVG.
— Malaysian Defence
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In USA wilderness, skid steers are quite popular for those who wants to do a lot of ground moving but not resorting to a full sized backhoe.
Marhalim,
On another very different issue. Years ago BAE Systems entered a risk clause factor due to the decision to construct the Lekiu Batch 2 a in Labuan. In the event this was agreed upon and the ships were delivered on schedule would BAE Systems have had to repay the amount agreed upon? Also, instead of a risk clause factor – which played a part in killing the deal – why didn’t BAE Systems just insist their the contract absolved it of any blame/liability in the event the ships were delivered late?
These humanitarian and disaster relief assets should be parked under Pertahanan Awam. Army to provide services only. Otherwise quite a hefty sum can be misconstrued as defence spending.
I have no details on this.
The bridges are part of Army requirements so it cannot be sent off to another agency which do not have the capability nor capacity to do the same thing. As I mentioned in the story PWD also maintained such bridges for emergencies.
The Army however from time to time are also involved in such endeavours as part of the HADR commitment.
Bailey bridge is the prime example of the saying ” There’s nothing more permanent than a temporary solution”. A bridge that is supposed to last 1,2 years ended up being in use for more than 50 years and the only upkeep is replacing the wooden surface every 5 years or so
There’s a story about a Bailey bridge in Sabah that was stood up before being incorporated into Malaysia and was only replaced with a permanent bridge in mid 90s when some idiot driver broke the bridge with his overloaded truck. Even in Sabah there were dozens of old bailey bridges still dotting the state
Has anyone seen the scene in “A Bridge Too Far” when they construct a Bailey?
We had previously sourced Bailey bridges from a Brit company.
Yup, I saw that. I think the China made LSB will be much cheaper than the ones from UK.
Marhalim,
What do you know about a local company called OpenAps? Has it replaced Sapura as the main contractor for the NCO programme or is it only a vendor? As you mentioned previously another company Sieman Systems is involved in the NCO programme.
Also, am I correct in saying that the Adnan and AV-8 share the same Thales BMS but that the PT-91 has a different BMS from a different manufacturer? Another question; is the FFS programme dead or is it still ongoing despite funding and other priorities? Personally whilst I see the value of it I’m still a sceptic; from the operational perspective.
P.S. Not “FFS” but “FSS”. The “Future Soldier System”.
Hasnan – “humanitarian and disaster relief assets should be parked under Pertahanan Awam”
Why on earth when such assets also have a military utility. Sorry but this is silly; like saying the armed services should not have a fire fighting capability and should only rely on BOMBA.