Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has ordered the government to abandon plans to procure Black Hawk helicopters that are over three decades old, referring to them as "flying coffins".

The monarch, who is Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, was speaking at a parade marking the 60th anniversary of Malaysia's Special Service Regiment in Mersing on Saturday (Aug 16).

"Are we going to put our pilots in flying coffins? Think for yourselves," Sultan Ibrahim said, in remarks later published on his official Facebook page.

"I believe that all of this happens because the defence ministry is full of agents or former generals who have become salesmen. We even have textile firms wanting to sell us drones."

 

He urged officials not to repeat costly mistakes of the past, citing the country's purchase of SkyHawk jets in the 1980s.

According to media reports, Malaysia bought 88 Vietnam War-era aircraft from the United States, of which only 40 were eventually used before being retired due to high accident rates.

The king said that inflated prices caused by middlemen could impact the current allocated military budget. "So don't try to fool me. If you don't want to listen to me, I won't reprimand you anymore after this," he added.

His comments come after Malaysia reportedly signed a RM187 million (S$57 million) deal in May 2023 to lease four Black Hawk helicopters from a local firm but the contract was reportedly scrapped last November after repeated delivery delays.

On Saturday, Sultan Ibrahim stressed that military purchases must be assessed transparently and not based on the recommendations of agents or individuals with vested interests.

"Don't waste time purchasing nonsense that does not fit the military's needs. If you don't know what the actual (market) price is, ask me first," he said.

The king recalled questioning the purchase of rigid raiding craft for commandos at RM5 million five years ago, when a better boat could have been acquired for under RM2 million.

He added that a recent proposal to buy a larger version of the same craft for nearly RM10 million "makes no sense" and should be thoroughly reviewed.

In response, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin assured that the ministry will align asset modernisation with the needs of the armed forces.

"Honouring the decree of His Majesty, the Defence Ministry will continue to place emphasis on the readiness of the armed forces," he said, as quoted by New Straits Times.

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crystal.tan@asiaone.com