I want to bring an issue to discussion that I have in mind since quite a long time. I often have the impression that in it's major procurement programmes Malaysia always takes an incredible amount of time until something concrete happens. Is that only so because here in Germany you don't hear much about that or is there really so much idling?
What I mean is that after Malaysia initially announces something, you don't hear of it again for years.
Some examples:
As Malaysia wanted to replace their AUG rifle, in April 2006 they announced the purchase of the Colt M4A1. Back then they said that deliveries would start in 2006. Now we have 2008, almost 2 years gone and literally nothing has happened. Not a single M4 has been delivered to the Malaysian Forces yet (okay, that might be wrong, there surely have been a few single trial weapons, but nothing serious).
Example 2:
The light armoured vehicle Deftech AV4. Publicly introduced at the DSA 2006 exhibition, big hoopla about it, magazines reporting, Malaysian politicians proudly proclaiming the birth of a indigenious defence industry etc., but since then? Absolutely nothing, no news, no pictures, no nothing. Like this vehicle has never existed. The Malaysian Armed Forces or the Police did not purchase it, and it also never appeared on any other Defence exhibition again since then. Is this project dead right now? Do they still work on it?
Example 3:
At the same DSA 2006 exhibition, Malaysia announced that it wanted to purchase 98 8x8 APC vehicles to partly replace their Condor and Sibmas AFVs. They tested the Swiss Piranha IIIC, the Polish KTO Rosomak (licenced Patria AMV) and the Turkish FNSS PARS (licenced GPV Captain). There are pics and a Jane's article about this six week trial. But to date no results or whatever have been announced. Again it appears as if it has never happened or like the Malaysian Army totally forgot about it. Of course, there will have been some negotiations behind the scenes between the Malaysian Army and the respective firm's local agents, but after 2 years they maybe should have come to an end. You can negotiate forever, but at one point you should simply get things straight.
Example 4:
I've read that it took the Malaysians more than 10 years to purchase a MBT, in the late 80's/early 90's they decided to get tanks and only in 2003 they finally went for the PT-91M, which is still not fully delivered yet.
Against that, just for example, when Singapore decided to buy a new MBT, they announced to buy the Leopard 2's, and merely a few weeks later they had the first of them. What's the deal with Malaysia?
Yeah, I know the difference between Singapore's Leopard 2 purchase (off-the-shelf acquisition) and Malaysia's PT-91M purchase ("custom-made", with extensive trials beforehand), but I'm not alluding to the four years between signing the contract in 2003 and finally getting the first production vehicles in summer last year. I allude to the 10 years that it took Malaysia to merely make a decision.
I always thought that the German procurement programmes were bureaucratic and slow, but against the Malaysian ones they almost appear like tightly organized and fast projects.
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What I mean is that after Malaysia initially announces something, you don't hear of it again for years.
Some examples:
As Malaysia wanted to replace their AUG rifle, in April 2006 they announced the purchase of the Colt M4A1. Back then they said that deliveries would start in 2006. Now we have 2008, almost 2 years gone and literally nothing has happened. Not a single M4 has been delivered to the Malaysian Forces yet (okay, that might be wrong, there surely have been a few single trial weapons, but nothing serious).
Example 2:
The light armoured vehicle Deftech AV4. Publicly introduced at the DSA 2006 exhibition, big hoopla about it, magazines reporting, Malaysian politicians proudly proclaiming the birth of a indigenious defence industry etc., but since then? Absolutely nothing, no news, no pictures, no nothing. Like this vehicle has never existed. The Malaysian Armed Forces or the Police did not purchase it, and it also never appeared on any other Defence exhibition again since then. Is this project dead right now? Do they still work on it?
Example 3:
At the same DSA 2006 exhibition, Malaysia announced that it wanted to purchase 98 8x8 APC vehicles to partly replace their Condor and Sibmas AFVs. They tested the Swiss Piranha IIIC, the Polish KTO Rosomak (licenced Patria AMV) and the Turkish FNSS PARS (licenced GPV Captain). There are pics and a Jane's article about this six week trial. But to date no results or whatever have been announced. Again it appears as if it has never happened or like the Malaysian Army totally forgot about it. Of course, there will have been some negotiations behind the scenes between the Malaysian Army and the respective firm's local agents, but after 2 years they maybe should have come to an end. You can negotiate forever, but at one point you should simply get things straight.
Example 4:
I've read that it took the Malaysians more than 10 years to purchase a MBT, in the late 80's/early 90's they decided to get tanks and only in 2003 they finally went for the PT-91M, which is still not fully delivered yet.
Against that, just for example, when Singapore decided to buy a new MBT, they announced to buy the Leopard 2's, and merely a few weeks later they had the first of them. What's the deal with Malaysia?
Yeah, I know the difference between Singapore's Leopard 2 purchase (off-the-shelf acquisition) and Malaysia's PT-91M purchase ("custom-made", with extensive trials beforehand), but I'm not alluding to the four years between signing the contract in 2003 and finally getting the first production vehicles in summer last year. I allude to the 10 years that it took Malaysia to merely make a decision.
I always thought that the German procurement programmes were bureaucratic and slow, but against the Malaysian ones they almost appear like tightly organized and fast projects.
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