TSAMTO, December 13. The Deputy Minister of Defense of Malaysia, Ikmal Hisham bin Abdul Aziz, in response to a request from a deputy of the lower house of parliament, said that the delivery of MD-530G light reconnaissance and attack helicopters to the American company MD Helicopter will be made in the first quarter of 2022.
According to the Bernama agency, at the moment the acceptance of helicopters has been completed. During the inspection conducted by representatives of the Ministry of Defense at the beginning of the month, prior to delivery, it was found that they comply with the specification. During the first inspection in July last year, the inspectors identified a number of shortcomings, which took additional time to eliminate.
As stated, the Ministry of Defense has taken measures to ensure that the country's Air Force receives helicopters as soon as possible. A fine is charged for delayed delivery, the final amount of which will be determined after delivery of all MD-530G to the customer.
As reported by TSAMTO, MD Helicopters signed a contract in February 2016 for the supply of 6 MD-530G reconnaissance and attack helicopters to the Malaysian Ground Forces. The cost of the agreement was 321.9 million ringgit (82.6 million dollars). The new machines will replace the outdated S61A-4 Nuri (the Malaysian version of the SH-3 "Sea King").
Initially, it was assumed that deliveries would begin by July 2017, but the schedule was disrupted due to various reasons. The main one is the discrepancy between the capabilities and staffing of the MD-530G to the requirements of the Malaysian Army aviation, which led to the need to make changes to their design. The work required certification of a modified version of the helicopter. Other reasons include an investigation into suspected corruption of a number of officials at the conclusion of the transaction, the bankruptcy case of MD Helicopters, travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic.
Despite the violation of delivery dates, in 2020 it was decided to continue the implementation of the program and accept the MD-530G, since the Malaysian Ministry of Defense found out that it would not be able to return advance payments for helicopters. As of the end of 2019, the Malaysian government has already paid more than a third of the contract value, transferring 112.6 million ringgit ($27.1 million) to the contractor.
Malaysian servicemen in the spring and summer of 2021 were trained in the use of these machines in the United States.
It is assumed that the new MD-530G will be deployed in Sabah to support operations against militants.
