MINDEF Sets October Deadline For Delivery Of Black Hawk Helicopters

KOTA TINGGI, Sept 1 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has given Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd until October to deliver four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters to the Malaysian Army (TDM).

Its Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that the helicopter lease contract would be cancelled if the vendor failed to meet this deadline.

“We are giving them until October for delivery. If the Black Hawk helicopters are not delivered by then, the contract will be cancelled,” he told reporters after the opening of My Villa at Dewan Felda Air Tawar 3 today.

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He made this statement in response to a question about MINDEF's actions concerning the delayed delivery of the helicopters.

However, he noted that MINDEF has not yet formulated alternative plans if the contract for the four helicopters is cancelled.

“Other plans will be made after the cancellation,” he added.

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Last month, Mohamed Khaled reportedly said that MINDEF had received feedback from the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) regarding the proposed cancellation of the Black Hawk helicopter lease contract for the Malaysian Army.

On July 16, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari stated that Aerotree Defence and Services, the company responsible for the helicopter lease, had cited the ongoing war in Ukraine as one of the reasons for the delay in the helicopter's procurement.

Previously, Army Chief Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan had indicated that a proposal would be submitted to MINDEF to cancel the Aerotree Defence and Services contract if the vendor failed to meet their delivery obligations as agreed.

-- BERNAMA