Army helicopter deal in danger after delivery delay

 

Army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan had previously expressed his desire to have the first Black Hawk helicopter delivered by the end of April. (Facebook pic)

KLUANG: The defence ministry will consider cancelling or reopening the tender for four Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters for the army if the current contractor continues to fail in delivering, minister Khaled Nordin said.

He added that this course of action will be based on the agreement between the ministry and the contractor.

“In this kind of procurement, there are delays, and our challenge is to manage those delays according to the contract terms. The contract considers these potential issues, and when it happens, we refer to the contract.

“When it truly cannot be fulfilled, that’s when we decide whether to cancel or reopen the tender. All actions are taken within the contractual terms,” he said here today.

On April 16, army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan reportedly said that the army would take further action if the contractor failed to deliver the first Black Hawk helicopter by the end of April.

Hafizuddeain was quoted as saying that the army hoped the contractor could deliver the first helicopter in April.

In May last year, the ministry signed a RM187 million deal with Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd to lease the four helicopters for five years. The helicopters are for the Army Air Corps. - FMT