SHAH ALAM: Public listed construction firm, Fajar Baru Builder Group Bhd (FBG), announced that its subsidiary firm was awarded a contract from the Australian government to develop facilities at RMAF Butterworth airbase.
The scope of the project includes upgrades to airfield pavements, ground lighting infrastructure, drainage, rugby pitch, futsal court and associated infrastructure at the military base, FBG said in an announcement on July 10. Work will commence on July 10 and is scheduled to be completed by November 13, 2023.
The company said its wholly owned subsidiary, Fajarbaru Builder Sdn Bhd (FBSB) and Avionics Pty Ltd (APL) of Victoria, Australia, secured a head contract (international) from the Australian Department of Defence on July 10, 2023, to redevelop the Australian leased facilities and Malaysian facilities at the Butterworth airbase.
For the project’s planning phase, FGB’s portion of the contract has a value of RM7.36 million while APL portion is AUD1.455 million. A joint venture agreement has been signed between FBSB and APL to undertake this project, FBG said.
The announcement of the award contract may well be related to the tender published in a notice in August, last year for the redevelopment work at Butterworth. The budget for the project is between AUD60 million to AUD70 million.
Australian Defence Magazine reported then that the redevelopment work at the airbase will be extensive so much so that the two fighter squadrons there, No. 15 and No. 18, will need to move out for the duration of the work.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (6)
How bad are we to the point that we need another country to foot the bill to upgrade our air force base?
Technically it's is 'their' Air base.
A very important and central to their strategy since they don't have a carrier nor long range bombers & don't intend on getting neither either
Its our base, RAAF has access to part of it.
"RM7.36 million while APL portion is AUD1.455 million"
Somehow that added together still don't amount to AUD60 million. Could this mean there are further upgrades in the pipeline, or perhaps related to equipment replacements/updating?
Seeing at how rundown the RAAF hangar looks it badly needs an update if it were to have a level whereby it could house their F35.
@Akmal
They are leasing it as part of offshore base, so as tenants they should foot the bill if they want to freshen up and improve their occupied areas. Its not like they are upgrading the entire TUDM Butterworth AB.
It's only for the preliminary design.
Zaft - “Technically it’s is ‘their’ Air base”
Incorrect.
It was officially handed over to us years and years ago : our base ... Under an agreement reached decades ago they use part of the base but it’s nor a leading arrangement pee see.
Zaft - “A very important and central to their strategy since they don’t have a carrier nor long range bombers & don’t intend on getting neither either”
It’s also used as a stop/refuelling point for aircraft headed to or back from the Middle East and it supports ADF activities in n the region. It’s our base and in times of war whether or not RAAF aircraft based there can partake in combat ops will be dependent on permission provided by us.
Akmal - 0How bad are we to the point that we need another country to foot the bill to upgrade our air force base?”
It’s not the first time. Note that a large portion of the works involves work performed at the RAAF section of the base and that for other things funding is provided by all 5 members; i.e. the C3 set up at HQIADS.