Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Army (TDM) has no plans to decommission its 20 Lipan Bara armoured vehicles, which remain in use for operations and training, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari stated that of the total, 14 are operated by the Royal Armoured Corps in Kota Belud, Sabah, while the remaining six are stationed at the Armoured Training Centre in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Adly Zahari confirmed that all of these vehicles remain fully operational and continue to support current operational requirements. He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah), who inquired about the army's plans for the 20 Lipan Bara high mobility armoured vehicles (HMAV) made by Thailand's Chaiseri, in light of the recent procurement of 4x4 Tarantula vehicles produced by Malaysian company Mildef.

Adly further added that the ministry plans to procure 136 Tarantula units based on the army's requirements as the end user. He explained that the procurement aims to enhance TDM's future capabilities and readiness in line with national defence needs.

In response to a question from Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PN-Permatang Pauh) regarding the reassessment of the AW149 helicopter assembly plant in Melaka, Adly stated that the Defence Ministry is not involved in the development of the facility. He clarified that the ministry is not involved as it is a business-to-business collaboration between private companies and the Melaka government.

He added that the plant was established through trilateral discussions between the Melaka government, Italian company Leonardo, and Westar Aviation Sdn Bhd, aligning with the concession agreement for the lease of 28 helicopters for government agencies.