SHAH ALAM: Mindmatics Sdn Bhd was awarded the Letter of Award for the tender to supply, deliver, install, integration and commissioning of a Fire Control System for KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin. Checks with the Eperolehan confirmed the LOA to Mindmatics.
The tender for the FCS was published in November, last year. Muhammad Amin – pennant number 136 – is undergoing a refit at the Grade One Marine Shipyard in Lumut. She is undergoing the refit as part of the RMN’s Obsolescence Programme where her machineries and engines replaced with new ones.
Malaysian Defence described the corvette refit as OP Plus as she is also getting a new hull as part of the work. She is also getting a new Fire Control System (FCS) to enable her to fully utilised her 76mm main gun (forward) and twin 40mm gun, aft. RMN estimated the cost of the FCS and services (lump sum) is RM14 million. The specifications called for the FCS and its associated work to be conducted by a local company using only local workers. The winning bidder will also have to grant the Intellectual Property rights of the FCS to the government
Met at Mindmatics showcase at DSA 2024 on May 7, its Client Solutions Manager Ezrul Hakim Husni Tamrin said RM12 million was its LOA. He explained work to install the FCS and its associated equipment will start soon and is expected to be completed in twenty-four months.
Mindmatics selected the Australian manufactured Trakka Systems – TC-300M – multi sensor maritime surveillance system as the eletro-optical turrets for its FCS to be installed on Muhammad Amin. The company also developed its own FCS for the tender.
Mindmatics described its FCS:
as Combined Naval Tactical Command System 1 (CONTACS 1) is an integration of software and hardware components designed to bolster a ship’s combat capabilities within the context of its specific mission. The main capabilities encompass combat execution and mission management tasks. These tasks include situation awareness, track management, threat detection and response, and mission planning preparation. Other capabilities include support for elements of Anti Surface Warfare (ASUW), Naval Gunfire Support (NGS), and Electronic Warfare (EW), as well as navigation support, helicopter recovery, and training.
Mindmatics has a long track record in the defence industry as it supplied the Army with electronic warfare capability since 2008 and was awarded maintenance contracts since then. In 2022 it won the contract to supply 1,000 Harris tactical radios.
It also won the Command Control Platform (CCP) tender published in September/October 2020 with an LOA of RM17.7 million. The four CCP platforms – fitted on a demountable cabin with the associated equipment are now operational with the Western Field Command, First, Second and Third divisions.
Mindmatics is also offering software and hardware solutions to the Armed Forces to meet future requirements.
— Malaysian Defence
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Mindmatics & Global Komited/Westar seems to be the next crop of main suppliers to the Armed Forces.
I just hope their products are really what the Armed Forces wants.
It’s the 1st company which was not started by ex top brass; is not run by ex top brass and did not have the same level of networking which other companies did. From what little I hear there’s no complains about the company or its products. Quite a bit of what they do does not make it into news because that’s the way it’s intended. They’ve been around for years but have been low key; just like a couple of other companies which don’t have booths at DSA or LIMA but have been supplying innovative stuff for qqite a while.
If they managed to thrive under the shadows and this is what they want then its all good. But if because of limited coverage and they could not get overseas export business because their unknown, and eventually had to close down then thats all the more shame they were not given a chance to shine. SMEO was something like that.
Different dynamics at play. SME is/was government owned/funded. It was given a near total monopoly. What it did and didn’t do didn’t help its cause and the fact that it did not received regular order of certain quantities and has to export everything needed for the production of ammo, explosives and other things and pay for those in hard foreign currency is a major issue.
With local companies it’s either the contact one has or having or being able to do something which nobody else has or can do or simply being in the right lace at the right time. Hard for ”outsiders” to get in. Many have given up;notdue to lack of merit but because of the nature of doing things. Mindmatics is doing some things which others are not.
The Merpati loitering munition is interesting. Lestari claims it has a AI recognition capability. The 100km range is a bit of a bummer though plus the fact that eventually such platforms will have to be jet and not prop powered. I wonder if this will go anywhere.
Despite all the hype about UASs and loitering munition we must not assume the next war will see them play a position similar to the Ukraine and we must never forget that all their successes have been at the tactical not operational or strategic level. They have also not replaced arty, mortars, attack helicopters, etc. At one point many were insistent we buy TB2s instead of Anka; despite the TB2 being a strike UAS and Anka being a ISR platform; capable of carrying heavier loads; having better sensors and other things. In the Ukraine the TB2 has disappeared; not being survivable in the strike role.
” it did not received regular order of certain quantities and has to export everything”
“Mindmatics is doing some things which others are not.”
Which is why its interesting to know what are Mindmatics doing to keep themselves afloat in between defence contracts.
Most of their work are with the MI so much of it is not out there.
Read somewhere the US Marines are abandoning their tanks because they believe loitering munitions do a better job.
Hasnan – ”re abandoning their tanks”’
No. They are ”abandoning their tanks” because as part of the shift to the Indo-Pacific they are going to focus on littoral expeditionary warfare; i.e. tanks are not ideal for this.
Hasnan – ”because they believe loitering munitions do a better job.”
Loitering munitions are just another weapon in a long like of weapons which as various periods would supposedly make the tank obsolete: AT rifle; AT gun; AT mine; aircraft mounted cannon; ATGW; attack helicopter, etc. As alluded to we simply can’t assume that in a next war UASs and loitering munitions will playa similar role to that in Ukraine, Libya and Nargano Karabakh. Technology is rapidly evolving and thanks to the Ukraine war countries are placing much more emphasis on Counter-UAS technology.
”Which is why its interesting to know what are Mindmatics doing to keep themselves afloat in between defence contracts.”
They have/had ongoing contracts to keep them busy for quite a while now. If they didn’t they would have gone bust long time ago; being privately funded. As alluded to much of what they do does not make it into the press. Interestingly the company also has it’s own loitering munition. Mindmatics is in a different position compared to SME.
Another local success story is the company which makes the IR resistant paint. Almost nobody’s heard of them; the don’t run ads in ADJ and don’t have booths at DSA, LIMA or IDEX but in addition to the MAF; have sold to a number of NATO and ASEAN countries. Many years ago the owner had to go to Brazil to liaise with Avibras [the ASTROS were painted there]. He said the Brazilians were hard to work with at times : ”laid back”.
Well as I said, if they can thrive under the shadows…
One company is government owned; the other is not. One produces things for which they’re are various alternative sources; the other produces things which the end user would like to source locally.
If they produce things we need on a frequent regular basis like rice, yeah fine.
If its something we only ‘buy in 5 years, see you next 5 years later’, hmm…
They produce things which require constant upgrades and maintenance. Plus there’s constant R&D ongoing. It’s not a one off things like selling ammo. The fact that the company has been around for almost 2 decades and is self funded says a lot.