Malaysia’s defence institute STRIDE is drafting a national defence drone development framework to counter modern warfare threats, says minister
KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Defence is developing a national framework for defence drones to prepare for the threats of modern warfare.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE) is drafting the framework.
He stated that drones and new technologies are now among the primary threats in the current security landscape, necessitating early preparations.
“We are focusing on new domains, specifically the threat of modern warfare which heavily involves the use of drones,” he said in Parliament.
“In this context, STRIDE has been tasked with formulating the national defence drone development framework to ensure we are ready for new threats.”
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) regarding research and development under the newly launched National Defence Industry Policy (DIPN).
He said its success hinges on building a robust research and development ecosystem open to various fields within the industry.
“This means it is open to various fields. At the initial stage, we do not plan to build equipment like aircraft, but will focus on components and maintenance, repair, and overhaul work,” he said.
Regarding the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Mission Ship project built in Turkey, Mohamed Khaled said the decision was based on specific considerations at that time.
He stated that for future projects, the government will limit overseas construction to just one ship, with the remainder to be built domestically to facilitate the transfer of expertise to the local industry.
The launch of DIPN also outlines specific steps to advance the defence industry, including mandating at least 30% local components in all defence asset procurements without exception.
“This is among the policies that form the foundation for developing the local defence industry. Currently, there are 15 MROs operated by foreign OEMs and we are confident Malaysians can take over these MRO operations,” he said.
