SHAH ALAM: The Defence Ministry has issued a tender for the supply, delivery, testing and commissioning of six hovercraft fast interceptors for the Army, for a period of three years. PMX announced the procurement of the hovercraft at the presentation of the national budget last year.
The title of the tender
MEMBEKAL, MENGHANTAR, MENGUJI DAN MENTAULIAH 6 BUAH HOVERCRAFT FAST INTERCEPTOR UNTUK TENTERA DARAT MALAYSIA (TDM) BAGI TEMPOH 3 TAHUN
The phrasing “or a period three years” seemed odd to me though as if the procurement will be under the government operate, company owned and maintain (GOCOM) concept. This is the same deal for the fast interceptors operated by the Joint Force Headquarters 2 in Tawau.
The public specifications of the tender, which is open for 42 days, starting today and ends on August 27.
There is a requirement for Malaysian Army to be equipped with hovercraft. The hovercraft shall have good endurance to operate in all type of surface either shallow water, coastal area, sandy area,
swampy area or metalled road. It shall be able to accommodate at least ten (10) personnel complete with combat gear during all type of the operations. It also shall be able to conduct land, amphibious and Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) such as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. It shall have good mobility to lift military personnel and logistics during the operations
Based on the specifications above, the British made Griffon Hoverwork 2000TD Hovercraft may well be the right equipment for the tender. The 2000TD can carry up to 12 passengers and could also be fitted with a remote weapon station. It has a top speed of 35 knots and a range of 391 nautical miles at that speed. I stand to be corrected of course.
From Griffon:
The most versatile and experienced craft, proven in the most extreme conditions from humanitarian disasters to war zones fulfilling the requirement of protecting and saving lives across the globe, no matter where they are.
A turbocharged, electronically injected diesel engine, driving a large diameter variable pitch propeller, along with the advanced skirt design, delivers fast, safe performance of it’s role. Marine grade aluminium hull and advanced composite mouldings are used to guarantee strength, reliability and longevity. All 2000TD’s are built with the intention of setting hovercraft standards, compliant to the High Speed Craft Code and optional Lloyd’s Register Certification.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (17)
Jabatan laut did purchased griffon hovercraft last I checked. I guess that's where the idea came from
The “company owned, government operated concept”
was also used with the artillery simulator at the Artillery School in the late 1990’s. It was supplied by CAE. Wonder if it was replaced.
Basically a rental then, Im guessing the Govt want to do proof of concept long term trial, before if it will commit to a buy by the end.
Am I right to say that Malaysia is undergoing a military build up, but Malaysian style?
Some may not agree with me because the current flurry of procurements are just clearing the backlog because nothing happened for such a long time.
Saying that, even the most cynical like Azlan, IMHO would have to agree that this is the best period the military has had for long time.
''Im guessing the Govt want to do proof of concept long term trial''
''No idea about the hovercrafts but with other deals it was not because of the reason you described but because the government didn't went to spend the money.
Tom - ''Am I right to say that Malaysia is undergoing a military build up''
What? We are continuing - belatedly - with the ongoing process of modernising the MAF and ensuring we have a minimal capability to meet our peacetime commitments and deal with the threats we fell we're likely to face.
Tom - ''that this is the best period the military has had for long time.''
It's still nothing to shout about. Tt's belated; in dribs and drabs [a little bit of everything but not enough of anything] and are the very basics we need.
A ''buildup'' would signify something different; i.e. the PLA building about 90 odd ships the past decade; spending more on cyberwarfare than we do for the MAF and developing capabilities which concern even America and other countries which have long enjoyed an edge but are now seeing that edge narrowing.
"with other deals it was not because of the reason"
Well this article is not talking about other deals, is it?
@Tom Tom
How is it a build up in any definition? We buy what we can to replace those well worn, only LCS was a big ticket item in recent times, while this hovercraft is basically a lease to try out something new. What else is there to claim there is a build up?
“Well this article is not talking about other deals, is”
“Well” I did say that I had no idea about the hovercrafts before I mentioned other deals; made a distinction with both. I also doubt it’s about a “proof of concept”” or anything like that but more likely due to us not having the budget and not wanting the hassle of maintaining it …
If we go back in time and examine all the “company owned, government operated” deals we had/have; none was to try something new or as a proof of concept but rather an urgent requirement which could not be funded in time and for which the government and end user did not want the responsibility of maintaining. As far as I know not a single The “company owned, “government operated” deal for any piece of kit eventually led to it being ordered: for one reason or the other.
Tom - “The “company owned, government operated concept”
For me the “best period” was 2002. Those who were at DSA remember the long list of contracts signed/announced at the show and others which came after. Quite a few of those contracts were for new capabilities.
That’s why I said Malaysia style Build up. It a build up when you don’t want a built up. Belatedly replacing stuff is still a good thing..