SHAH ALAM: More whoop… Part…The Army is importing some 24,000 40mm grenade cartridges from South Korea for use with its grenade launchers from the M203s, Milkors and MK-19 grenade machine guns. The order was revealed when an MTO tender was issued for the transport for the grenades was published on the ePerolehan website on Oct. 29. The RFB will close this Nov. 23.
The tender:
PELANTIKAN MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT OPERATOR (MTO) BAGI PEROLEHAN MEMBEKAL DAN MENGHANTAR CARTRIDGE 40MM HEHC-LV DAN CARTRIDGE 40MM HEDP-HV UNTUK TENTERA DARAT MALAYSIA (TDM)
As the cartridges will be shipped from the Port of Busan in South Korea, it is likely that these are sourced from Hawnha Defence Corporation, I stand to be corrected of course. The tender for the 40mm grenade cartridges was issued in September, last year.
The grenade cartridges specifications:
There is a requirement for Malaysian Army to be equipped with 40 mm HEHC – LV round that have fragmentation and blast upon impact that can be used with Multiple Grenade Launcher (MGL),M203 or another similar weapon. 20,000 units.
There is a requirement to equip the Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) or any other similar weapon with Cartridge 40 MM High
Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) High Velocity. 4,000 units
The number of grenade cartridges bought is interesting as we are seeking more of the low velocity (LV) ones compared to the high velocity which are used on automatic grenade launchers. It goes to show that we have more LV grenade launchers in service than the automatic ones which are mostly limited to vehicles as they are heavy and not usually man-packable, though sometimes they do fire them from ground positions.
The tender was won by World Integrated Technologies Sdn Bhd, which has familiar faces as their board of directors. It is another nail in the coffin of the state-owned ammo manufacturer, SMEO Sdn Bhd.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (2)
"It is another nail in the coffin of SMEO Sdn Bhd."
If they cannot be self sufficient after all these decades, why keep them afloat. Either close them down or amalgamate into other defence agencies ie STRIDE or sell off to companies, ie Deftech, or seek an ownership JV with established munitions companies ie Rheinmetall, Ruag, etc to setup local manufacturing arm here for regional sales similar to Proton-Geely arrangement.
"cannot be self sufficient after all these decades"
That's not the point.The point is that with the small numbers we order there is no way that SME can keep prices down and also make a decent profit. Eveything, from the brass caps to chemicals is imported and paid in foreign currency.
Very few countries are actually self sufficient. Even the U.K.imports the chemicals and various things needed to produce ammo.