King Warns MINDEF Against Buying 'Flying Coffins'
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim at the 60th Anniversary Parade of Rejimen Gerak Khas (RGK) at Kem Iskandar, Mersing today.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim at the 60th Anniversary Parade of Rejimen Gerak Khas (RGK) at Kem Iskandar, Mersing today.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim at the 60th Anniversary Parade of Rejimen Gerak Khas (RGK) at Kem Iskandar, Mersing today.
MERSING, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today issued a stern reminder to the Ministry of Defence not to repeat past mistakes in the procurement of military assets, particularly used aircraft that could endanger the lives of pilots and military personnel.
His Majesty said the nation's experience in purchasing second-hand Skyhawk aircraft should serve as a lesson, as the planes could not be fully utilised.
'Do not repeat the past mistake like when we bought second-hand Skyhawks… are we going to put our pilots in 'flying coffins'? Think for yourselves.
'I believe all this happens because the Ministry of Defence is full of agents or ex-generals turned salesmen, and even textile traders trying to sell drones,' said Sultan Ibrahim at the 60th Anniversary Parade of Rejimen Gerak Khas (RGK) at Kem Iskandar, here.
Also present were the Regent of Johor Tunku Mahkota Ismail and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar, and Army Chief General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan were also in attendance.
The A-4 Skyhawk, developed by McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing), was closely associated with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), which acquired 80 units from the United States in 1982 at US$1 million each, before retiring the fleet due to a high accident rate.
Sultan Ibrahim, who is also Colonel Commandant of Gerup Gerak Khas (GGK), further advised the Defence Minister to cancel the proposed purchase of Black Hawk helicopters that are over 30 years old, out of concern that the same mistake would be repeated.
The monarch emphasised that all parties involved in military procurement must ensure evaluations are conducted transparently, based on market prices and the actual needs of the armed forces, and not merely on the recommendations of agents or vested interests.
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