TSAMTO, June 4th. The new 155mm/52 self-propelled artillery (ACS) BIA on a wheeled chassis of the Slovak company Konstrukta Defense is the favorite of the Malaysian Ministry of Defense tender.
As it reminds Armyrecognition.com, the planned purchase of a division of 18 Slovak 155 mm/52 self-propelled guns after the closing of the tender on February 28 became known to the local edition of Defense Security Asia, which claimed that the official winner of the tender will be announced in the near future, possibly within the framework of the Defense Services Asia 2024 exhibition (May 6-9, 2024).
The BIA ACS at the DSA 2024 exhibition was presented as the favorite of the competition, although the Malaysian military prefers the French CAESAR.
According to the information Armyrecognition.com Currently, the two finalists are the Slovak BIA and the French CAESAR. The official results of the competition are expected to be announced this month.
The Slovak company Konstrukta Defense presented the 155mm/52 self-propelled howitzer BIA on the Tatra chassis with a 6x6 wheel formula, which is a development of the EVA and Zuzana 2 artillery systems, in September 2023. Work began in 2021 and continued at a steady pace. The ACS has passed fire tests.
In the basic version, the Tatra T815-7 car with a 6x6 wheel formula is used as a chassis, equipped with a Tatra T3C-928.90 V8 engine with a capacity of 402 hp and an Allison 4500SP transmission (the customer can choose other solutions, including an 8x8 chassis). The cabin reservation protects the crew from small arms fire with a caliber of up to 7.62 mm and fragments of artillery shells. The maximum speed of the system with a total weight of 27 tons is 90 km/h, the power reserve is 600 km.
The ACS is equipped with a 155-mm barrel with a length of 52 caliber. The maximum firing range is 40-50 km, depending on the type of shots used. Elevation angles range from -3.5 degrees. up to +75 degrees. The automatic loader provides a rate of fire of 5 shots in the first minute and 13 shots over the next three minutes. In manual loading mode, the rate of fire is 2 rounds per minute. The carried ammunition is 20 rounds (EVA has 12 rounds). The calculation consists of 3-5 people, depending on the customer's requirements.
Compared to EVA, the new system has much more automation and a higher level of crew protection. It is reported that the experience of the conflict in Ukraine was used in the development of the BIA, including the experience of combat use of the Zuzana 2 ACS in the Ukrainian Theater of Operations. In addition, conclusions were drawn from NATO exercises in Latvia, where the aforementioned Slovak artillery installations were highly appreciated.
As TSAMTO has already reported, the Malaysian Ground Forces have been striving for several years to purchase 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, but they cannot receive them, mainly due to lack of funds. The United States previously offered to sell 30 tracked 155-mm M-109A5 self-propelled howitzers to the Malaysian Armed Forces as part of the Surplus Military Equipment (EDA) program, but the purchase was canceled in 2019.
Then negotiations were held with the French company Nexter and Advanced Defense Systems (ADS), representing its interests in Malaysia, on the sale of 155-mm CAESAR self-propelled howitzers, and in July 2022, following a visit to Turkey by a delegation led by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob, it was decided to purchase Yavuz self-propelled howitzers of Turkish origin defense conglomerate Makine ve Kimya Endustrisi A.S (MKE). Presumably, in August 2022, the Malaysian Ministry of Defense signed a letter of intent (LOI) for the purchase of 18 units of 155-mm Yavuz self-propelled howitzers. The total cost of the purchase was estimated at 800 million ringgit (about 170 million dollars).
In April 2023, the media reported that the Malaysian Ministry of Defense decided to reconsider the planned acquisition of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Yavuz" produced by Turkish MKE. Earlier, a number of sources reported that the contract had been cancelled.
Later, on December 11, 2023, former Defense Minister Mohamad Hassan announced in the National Assembly that the contract for the purchase of new self-propelled guns would be signed in 2024 based on the results of the tender. The artillery unit will be located in the new Felda Sahabat camp (Lahad Datu, pc.Sabah), which will be built by 2027 under a contract worth 547 million ringgit.
A defense department source told Defense Security Asia at the time that the Defense Ministry was reviewing five systems offered by various foreign companies.
Another source told the newspaper that the most intense competition unfolded between the Turkish defense conglomerate MKE with 155-mm self-propelled guns "Yavuz" and the French defense company NEXTER Systems with 155-mm self-propelled guns CAESAR. Negotiations with the Slovak company Konstruckta Defense on the supply of EVA self-propelled guns began in September 2022, but then the media did not pay much attention to this fact.
The Malaysian Armed Forces currently do not have self-propelled artillery units. Towed howitzers such as 105 mm Melary Mod 56, M102 and LG1 Mk.3 are available.
