KUALA LUMPUR: Airbus is strengthening its footprint in Malaysia’s defence sector through a series of new agreements signed at the Defence Services Asia and National Security Asia 2026 exhibitions.
Airbus country representative for Malaysia Burhanudin Noordin Ali said the agreements include memorandums of understanding (MoU) and letters of intent (LoI) with Boustead Holdings Bhd; maintenance, repair and overhaul providers Airod Sdn Bhd and Global Turbine Asia Sdn Bhd; as well as simulator technology firm Ikramatic Systems Sdn Bhd.
“The MoU concerns the development of capability within Malaysia to establish a Malaysian capability for satellites in support of the NDIP, and to develop local expertise in building satellites for the future,” he told Bernama after the signing of the MoU and the LoI today.
Elaborating on the MoU and LoI with Boustead, Burhanudin said Airbus Defence and Space and Boustead will strengthen cooperation in military satellite communications (MilSatCom) by exploring technical collaborations to ensure the successful delivery and long-term sustainment of Malaysia’s future MilSatCom programme.
He said the MoU also paves the way for the development of a comprehensive training solution under the programme and for assessing implementation under the industrial collaboration programme framework, while Airbus Helicopters intends to formalise an arrangement for Boustead to act as the prime contractor for military helicopter sales in Malaysia.
As for the collaboration with Airod, Burhanudin said that as a long-standing defence player in Malaysia, Airbus is looking to transfer capabilities to the local industry, enabling Airod to undertake maintenance and repair work on the A400M military airlifter.
He said the Airbus-Airod tie-up involves exploring opportunities to develop MRO capabilities for the A400M aircraft in Malaysia to support the operational readiness of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) fleet.
“So this is something that we are very proud of, and as you know, the RMAF has four aircraft, and this enables Airod to perform some maintenance activities on the A400M,” he added.
Meanwhile, regarding Ikramatic Systems, Burhanudin said Airbus aims to partner with the company to develop simulator capabilities to support the H225 helicopter, as part of efforts to strengthen local industry participation and build greater in-country capability within Malaysia’s defence ecosystem.
