The ongoing war in Ukraine has become one of the reasons for the delay in the acquisition of UH-60A Blackhawk helicopters, according to Deputy Defense Minister Adly Zahari.

He stated that this matter was communicated by Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd, the company responsible for the helicopter leasing services acquisition contract.

“The approval process by the United States regulatory authorities has also been tightened for the modernization of technical specifications and avionics system integration on the UH-60A Blackhawk aircraft,” he said.

The work program timeline and the expected delivery of the aircraft to Malaysia have been reviewed and updated by the Slovak Training Academy and all involved parties based on the current supply chain conditions and the expected approval timeline by the US regulatory authorities.”

He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah) regarding the reasons for Aerotree Defence and Services’ failure to supply UH-60A helicopters to the Malaysian Army within the stipulated time and the ministry’s subsequent actions during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

Adly stated that the company was supposed to deliver two helicopters on October 30, 2023, and another two on December 30, 2023. He emphasized that the Ministry of Defense viewed this delay seriously as it had an impact on the operation of the Army Air Forces helicopter units as outlined in the contract.

“Furthermore, if there is any delay in the delivery of these helicopters, the government, through this contract, will impose fines for the delays caused by the company. However, if the company still fails to make the deliveries according to the set dates, the ministry can also cancel this acquisition and re-tender as required by the contract,” he added.