20-05-2025
RIBAT Showcases Local Talent And Innovation In Defence Industry
By Maizatul Jamny Muhammad Rosli
LANGKAWI, May 20 (Bernama) -- Behind its compact and rugged design, the country's first high mobility light tactical vehicle (HMLTV) RIBAT holds an extraordinary story of determination, courage and the capability of local talent willing to take great risks for the advancement of the country's defence industry.
Fully designed by Mildef International Technologies Sdn Bhd (MILDEF), the armoured vehicle is not just a symbol of physical strength, but also reflects the perseverance of a local company in creating a defence asset which, it was assumed all these while, could only be produced by advanced countries.
In an exclusive interview with Bernama, MILDEF managing director Datuk Seri Mohd Nizam Kasa shared that the idea to create RIBAT came about following their success in producing the earlier model, the high-mobility armoured vehicle Tarantula.
"RIBAT is a type of specially-designed vehicle we felt was needed after the company produced the Tarantula. This vehicle is compact and suitable for all types of missions… it can operate at the borders (or) any assigned tasks,' he said.
More interestingly, Mohd Nizam said RIBAT, which carries high symbolic value and refers to the spirit of guarding and defending the country based on faith, patriotism and technology, was named by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself.
In conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (LIMA'25), which began today, Anwar also launched RIBAT at the MILDEF Pavillion of the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC), thus making the company the first producer of national tactical armoured vehicles.
Behind the success of RIBAT's production lies an even bigger achievement as it was fully designed by Malaysians, right from the sketching, research and development (R&D) and production stages to the final tests… everything was done domestically.
Mohd Nizam said that about 60 to 70 per cent of the vehicle's components, which are equipped with a modular ballistic protection system and designed for missions such as patrols, convoys and special operations, were developed by local engineers while its components, such as the engine and transmission, were imported before being assembled and tested in the country.
