SHAH ALAM: In his budget 2024 presentation, PMX announced the procurement of various asset for the National Security Sector which includes 733 support vehicles for the Army. Starting yesterday and today, Eperolehan published a slew of tenders for the procurement of support vehicles for the Army. The other day Malaysian Defence reported on the tender for the supply and delivery for hovercraft, interceptor.
The biggest number of support vehicles being sought is for the supply and delivery of eighty-three weapon carriers (heavy machine gun): the second biggest is for the supply and delivery of eighty-two one-tonne GS Cargo trucks and the third is for eighty, weapon carriers (automatic grenade launcher).
The specifications:
For the HMG Weapon Carrier
There is a requirement for Malaysian Army (MA) to be equipped with high mobility weapon platform for 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG). The vehicle shall have good endurance to operate in rough terrain and in built up area. It also shall be able to provide mobility, communication platform and protection for the crews. The vehicle shall be reliable to perform in offensive and defensive operations, Operation in Built Up Area (OBUA) and for training purposes.
For AGL Weapon carrier:
There is a requirement for Malaysian Army (MA) to be equipped with high mobility weapon platform for Anti-Tank Missile-Medium Range (ATGM-MR), 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launchers (AGL), 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) and 7.62 mm Gatling Gun. The vehicle shall have good endurance to operate in rough terrain and in built up area. It also shall be able to provide mobility, communication platform and protection for the crews. The vehicle shall be reliable to perform in offensive and defensive operations, Operation in Built Up Area (OBUA) and for training purposes.
For one-tonne GS Cargo truck:
There is a requirement to equip Malaysian Army with truck 1-ton General Service Cargo 4 x 4 for the used in all types of operation. It shall be used in training, operational and administrative purpose. It shall have good mobility on metalled roads and tracks with cross-country capability. This vehicle is required for all arm and services usage in all types of operation in Malaysia or in any United Nation (UN) mission.
The incumbent provider of the weapon carriers is Cendana Auto Sdn Bhd which supplied fourty-nine vehicles which they called the Armed Tactical Ground Vehicle which came from a tender in 2019. A separate tender for the HMG and AGL is also expected soon as the Army do not have many of the weapons in their armouries.
As for the one-tonne GS Cargo truck, Deftech supplied 150 of these vehicles to the Army under a tender published in 2020. This time around, the Army is looking to buy 29 trailers to carry cargo using its in service trucks.
The Specifications:
There is a requirement for the Malaysian Army to be equipped with Trailer ¾ Ton General Service (GS) Cargo to carry ammunition or other load from one location to another during operations. The trailer ¾ GS Cargo shall be towed by the in-service military truck
The last tender published on July 17 for support vehicles is the one for seven all terrain support vehicle (ATSV) specifically for the 10th Parachute Brigade. The vehicle is to supplement the Supacat 6X6 ATMP in service with the brigade.
PEROLEHAN MEMBEKAL DAN MENGHANTAR ALL TERRAIN SUPPORT VEHICLE (ATSV) AMFIBI 8X8 – KENDERAAN SOKONGAN TENTERA DARAT
There is a requirement to equip the Infantry Parachute Battalion with a ATSV for operational and
exercise purposes. The vehicle shall be able to be used on all type of terrains as well as in adverse weather conditions.
Based on the title of the tender and specifications, I believed a mil-spec version of the Canadian made Argo Frontier 8X8 will be selected to meet the requirement. It must be noted that the latest version ATMP remained a 6X6 vehicle. Perhaps the brigade will use the Supacat as a ceremonial vehicle while the new vehicle will be used for operations and training exercises.
The tenders for the trailer and ATSV will close on August 8 while the three others close on August 27.
Two more separate tenders for support vehicles were published today (July 18), the first for fourteen ten-tonne GS Cargo trucks and six Medium Recovery Vehicles (MRV). Both closes on August 27.
The specifications for the ten-tonne GS Cargo trucks:
There is a requirement to equip Service Corps Units with higher tonnage logistic vehicle in all types of operation. It can used in the build-up of all combat ground stock of ration, petroleum, ammo and other combat supplies. This is to meet the contemporary Army logistics requirement.
This is likely to supplement the Army logistic trucks from the Handalan, MAN and Iveco to the Scania Gryphus.
The MRVs are tow trucks, probably to replace the old Mercedes Benz short-bonnet 911 wrecker trucks still in service with the various Angkut and engineering units. The specifications:
An all-wheel-drive Medium Recovery Vehicle (MRV) 6×6 is required to provide 1st line to 4th line recovery services for casualties weighing above 10 tonnes up to 20 tonnes for the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF)
As the government is funding the procurement for 733 support vehicles this year, it is likely another round of tenders will be published soon. That said the tenders could also be published next year as the latest round of exercise will be quite a big task for the Army and the ministry to conduct in an expeditious and fair manner. As for when the HMAV and HMLTV tenders will be publish, your guess is as good as mine.
— Malaysian Defence
If you like this post, buy me an espresso. Paypal Payment
View Comments (11)
The Argo Frontier seems to have a smaller bed that the Supacat. Also, unless I'm mistaken the ATV requirement is for a vehicle to perform slightly different roles compared to the Supacat; which is used more for movement of light loads/gear. One role often performed is collecting parachutes from drop zones [with a trailer].
Good to heard all good news for our armed forces recently. May this momentum keep running positively.
Are the army going to replace the Vamtac or just supplement it?
Not many Vamtacs left as weapon carriers as with the G-Wagens.
What was the issue with the VAMTCs? Remind me of the Pinzgauers which has a short service live.
Something about the engine or gearboxes which needed some TLC which the Army not so keen about, just like the Pinz..
The main issue with the Pinzgauers was the drive train assembly; the challenges we faced maintaining/servicing it. The LA911 had a reputation for being indestructible and something even a mediocre mechanic could not wreck.
So what will happen to the vamtac already purchased with rakyat’s money? Just simply scrap it?
A number of vehicles are used by the Paras and at the Wataniah training facility at Ipoh. GGK used to operate them as well but since they are already issued the Cendana Auto SFX vehicles, those are likely retired as well.
Weird for TDM to be carrying forward the budget for the cancelled M109 SPH for quite a number of years already without making a decision. Usually you get ticked off by audit for not spending.
@Hasnan
Is not that they did not want to spend. Its that every time a buy comes up, so happens each new Govt will cancel the previous Govt decision and put their own spin. The M109 was canceled by PH 1.0 which went back to consider on Caesar, which then got changed to Yavuz by Muhy/Sabri Govt, and this was scuppered by PH2.0 Madani Govt back to Caesar apparently but decision to buy iinm is still hanging. Unless there is movement to buy now, its more than likely a new Govt would once again change things. Rinse & repeat.