SHAH ALAM: Out in the open. The parliament started its second session after the May 9 general elections on Monday (Oct. 15) with the 2019 budget expected to be table this November 2. The government is also expected to table the mid-term review of the RMK11 during the same session. So far no one has said in detail what the budget will be though both the PM and Finance Minister had said it will be a painful one.
Defence Ministry I have been told will be gutted so much that even the grown men there will crying buckets of tears. What that’s really means is beyond me at the moment, so I guess we will have to wait until the budget is announced.
Three MRSS designs on display at the RMN booth at DSA 2018
Anyhow, the previous government had said that the next procurement project for the RMN will be the long sought after Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) one of the five type of ships identified under the service’s 15 to 5 transformation plan. With work on LMS and LCS underway, the MRSS project will be the third one to be funded though that has been put in choppy waters following the May 9 general elections.
A stern view of all three designs.
The industry remains hopeful that the project will be continued with the shipyard and design are now expected to be chosen through an open competition. Just a few months ago, everyone thought BNS will get the job but the blowing winds is boosting the sails of its competitors.
PT PAL booth at LIMA 17
I was told that five other shipyards, two in Sabah and Sarawak with the other three in the peninsula – are prepping in case the MRSS gets funded and an open tender will be called. This remains a guessing game however as the industry has yet to be told how much will be allocated for next year, whether it will include the MRSS and the rest of RMK11. In the past the industry will get hints of what to expect but its no longer the case this time around due to the change in government.
MRSS concept based on the Makassar class by regular reader…
Personally, I am guessing that the MRSS will not be funded during the next three years and it will only be done in the next RMK.
A graphic of a China made LPD displayed at LIMA 2015. The ship was proposed for the RMN MRSS requirement.
As for the design of the MRSS itself, I have been told that all options remained in contention. Yes this means the China, Turkish, French and Indonesian ones are still in the running.
–Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (40)
due to budget constraint,i am believe MRSS will not be funded...and i am ok with that.better not overstretch the budget. better focus all attention to LCS and LMS for time being.
although no procurement , i hope the upgrade of other asset such as c-130,nuri and hawk can be done.
Will be lucky if the government even continued with the LCS past the 3 announced as had been quiet lately
Just relax. A common ploy is to get everyone ready for the worst case scenario, and hey presto, everyone is happy when the budget is not as bad as expected. Anyway this is my positive spin. I will be very sad if MPA is cancelled as that is a real priority.
No MRSS ?, Well. It's the end of ATM
The defence budget is so underfunded as it is right now I really cannot imagine if it is to be gutted further. What it means is that we need to forget all those gold-plated projects, and get back to basics. IMO that means:
- Off the shelf as it is LPD/SSV ships. No need for special lengthened ships.
- Off the shelf low cost LMS (similar to my proposal for LMS B)
- Forget about expensive NGPV Kedah batch 2 and leave patrolling to MMEA with cheaper OPVs
- Basic low operating and aquisition cost common LCA/LIFT
- Basic MPA without expensive ASW capability
- Scrapping Nuri upgrade program
- reducing the scope of the Gempita variants. moving things like the vingtaqs system to a cheaper, smaller, more nimbler platform like the J-LTV
People seems confuse how bad the economy is.
PH always talks about debt, recently Mat Sabu said the real debt is over RM 1 Trillion.
Lets wait for defence budget to be revealed. IMO, defence budget always the first to be cut.
no new mpa is fine... convert all CN-235 to MPA... C-130 & A400m are the only transport fleet TUDM should keep.
no new big toy never mind but small and upgrade toy should remain if not that expensive... Mat Sabu just silent for a long period + his assistant just keep on comment none defence related issue.
The Philippines has announced that they would be buying 8 Gripen C/D versions . They compared the Gripen with F16 n finds it cheaper compared to F16
We have no money for our defense but seemed to have plenty for a 3rd national car project. Bravo!
Perhaps then, our ATM has no choice but to use these national cars as VBIED in the defense of our country.
@romeo
With SST pulling only 1/3rd of income compared to GST, and if we're unable to restructure debt from 1MDB and other Chinese projects, yeah Govt will be in short-term squeeze
Also need to think of new income sources AND develop them within a very short period
1st term will be all fire-fighting, 2nd term (if there is one) only we may see turnaround IF the Govt's fiscal management is good
@Lee
Lol Gripen C/D... If there's a fighter more low-spec than anything else in the world, but not as bad as FA-50, that would be it I think.
@joe
Try to understand that Defence is a net-loss expense.