24-05-2025
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Airod celebrates 40-year partnership with Lockheed Martin
LANGKAWI: Aerospace maintenance company Airod Sdn Bhd commemorated its 40-year partnership with United States defence giant Lockheed Martin at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (Lima '25).
The milestone was marked during an appreciation ceremony recognising the longstanding collaboration between the two companies, particularly in the support and maintenance of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Airod, an authorised Hercules Service Centre, has played a key role in enhancing regional air capability and defence readiness through its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) expertise.
National Aerospace and Defence Industry (NADI) group president Datuk Edron Hayata said the partnership between Airod and Lockheed Martin is not only enduring but foundational to the company's success as a global MRO leader.
"For four decades, we have shared knowledge, technology and a commitment to excellence, ensuring the operational readiness of the C-130 fleet for Malaysia and our international clients."
Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin Southeast Asia regional executive Robert Lain said the company valued its long-standing collaboration with Airod and recognised the Malaysian firm's critical contribution to the C-130 programme.
"Their expertise and dedication in providing MRO services for the C-130 Hercules are invaluable to the RMAF's mission.
"This ceremony at Lima '25 reaffirms our commitment to working closely with our Malaysian partners to ensure the continued success of the C-130 fleet," he said.
Established in 1976 as Malaysia's first in-country depot-level maintenance facility, Airod was initially tasked with supporting the RMAF's C-130 fleet, including its engines, avionics and aerostructures.
In 1984, the company was incorporated as a private limited entity through a joint venture between Aerospace Industries Malaysia (now known as NADI) and Lockheed Aircraft Systems International.
