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The Truth Is Plain To See

A soldier with the Pathfinder company of the 10th Para Brigade firing his FN Minimi LMG at an exercise in late 2021. Note the 5.56mm belted ammo not placed in an ammo box. BTDM

SHAH ALAM: The truth is plain to see. Back in October, last year, the Eperolehan website floated a tender for 12.5 million rounds of 5.56mm SS109/M855 ball ammo. According to the specifications

the round 5.56 mm ball shall be used with the following weapons such as follows: Steyr AUG. M16A1/A2. M4A1 Carbine. Light Machine Gun MINIMI. Any other weapon with the NATO calibre of 5.56 mm.

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A rifle section moving into position during the 2018 Firepower demonstration. Note that each riflemen is carrying a RPG launcher together with their M4A1 carbines. BTDM

When I saw the tender and the amount of ammo being sought, I knew this was the big kahuna – the one that clearly indicates the future of the state-owned SMEO Sdn Bhd which I highlighted in this post. Again, I must note that I am not shelling for SMEO but again I am asking the question due to the fact that if we don’t buy ammo locally – even from a state owned firm – why do we even bother promoting and building up the local defence industry, in the first place?
GGK operators firing the M4A1 carbines during a shooting competition in 2021. BTDM

I am again asking the question as the result of the 12.5 million 5.56mm ammo has been awarded to Traumland Sdn Bhd with a contract price of RM30.6 million. The contract notice was published on the Eperolehan website when I accessed it on March 14.
A soldier firing her M4A1 carbine in early 2021. BTDM

As usual there is no indication from where the ammo will be sourced though Traumland website stated that it was working with Igman, an ammunition manufacturer from Bosnia Herzegovina. It must be noted that Traumland was also awarded the contract to supply 3,000 125mm tank gun imitator which it also sourced from Pretis company also from Bosnia.
A Pretis 125mm tank gun imitator round. Traumland

Traumland also supplied 125mm tank rounds to SMEO when the PT-91M Pendekar was first introduced into the Army.

— Malaysian Defence

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Marhalim Abas: Shah Alam

View Comments (13)

  • Marhalim - ''– why do we even bother promoting and building up the local defence industry, in the first place?''

    Because it's politically expedient; looks and sounds good. Everybody loves job creation; ''self sufficiency'', pouring money into the local economy, etc. Even now decades after having no tangible benefits to show and after huge resources allocated the local industry is still at it. Not only that but people are still mesmorised by the myth/illusion of ''self sufficency''

  • See my comment in the previous article but the gist of it; Local defence industry is a unicorn, if we cannot afford it we better don’t do it.

  • RM2.45 per round is basically retail price of nato spec 5.56 rounds in USA, of new (not surplus) bullets made in the USA.

    For a large buy of millions of rounds, I would expect it to be cheaper than that, while still being profitable to the middlemen.

  • My understanding is that cheap ammo can jam your rifle, so quality at the right price is paramount.

  • "we cannot afford it we better don’t do it."

    Applies to a lot things; military and non military. Problem is it's politically expedient and ultimately boils down to the very policy which we've long had in place; a politically driven one in which national interests [not only the local industry] takes precedence over providing the armed services with the desired capability and ensuring that they and the taxpayer get their money's worth. We deserve to be in the rut we're in because we refuse to change or implement deep rooted fundamental reforms.

  • "Note that each riflemen is carrying a RPG launcher"

    I wonder if that is the standard practice? How many launchers and rounds are carried per squad?

  • It's the standard practice for the Mechanised troops really. As how many, I don't go into that kind of details