TSAMTO, October 17th. The latest 155 mm/52 BIA self-propelled gun (or EVA M2) on a 6x6 wheeled chassis from the Slovak company Konstrukta Defense has been selected as the winner of the tender conducted by the Malaysian Ministry of Defense.
This was reported on October 14, without any additional details, by the Malaysia Military Review resource.
According to the information Armyrecognition.com, the two finalists were the Slovak BIA and the French CAESAR.
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 the entire cycle of fire tests.
In the basic version of the BIA, 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 ACS with a total weight of 27 tons is 90 km / h, and the power reserve is 600 km.
The barrel length of the 155 mm howitzer BIA (EVA M2) is 52 caliber. The maximum firing range is more than 40/50 km, depending on the type of shots used. Elevation angles range from -3.5 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/min.. 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 EVA M2 system has much more automation and a higher level of crew protection. It is reported that during its development, the experience gained during the fighting in Ukraine was used, including the results of the combat use of the Zuzana 2 ACS.
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As previously reported by TSAMTO, the Malaysian Ground Forces have been trying for several years to purchase 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, but these plans were not implemented, primarily 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) on the purchase of 18 units of 155-mm self-propelled howitzers "Yavuz". 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. As a result, the contract was 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. An artillery unit equipped with new self-propelled guns will be stationed in the Felda Sahabat camp (Lahad Datu, pcs.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 publication that intense competition for the implementation of the project actually 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 attach much importance 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.
