The Malaysian Army confirms its 20 Lipan Bara armoured vehicles remain operational with no plans for retirement, alongside a new procurement of 136 Tarantula units.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Army has no plans to retire its fleet of 20 Lipan Bara high mobility armoured vehicles (HMAV).
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari told the Dewan Rakyat that all vehicles remain fully operational for current training and operational needs.
Fourteen of the vehicles are operated by the Royal Armoured Corps in Kota Belud, Sabah. The remaining six are stationed at the Armoured Training Centre in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.
Adly was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz regarding plans for the Thai-made vehicles following the procurement of new Malaysian-made Tarantula vehicles.
He added that the ministry plans to procure 136 Tarantula units based on the army’s requirements as the end user. This procurement aims to enhance the army’s future capabilities and readiness in line with national defence needs.
In a separate matter, Adly said the Defence Ministry is not involved in the development of an AW149 helicopter assembly plant in Melaka. He stated the facility is a business-to-business collaboration between private companies and the state government.
The plant was established through discussions between the Melaka government, Italian company Leonardo, and Westar Aviation Sdn Bhd.
