Rosomak 8x8 AMV - The Malaysian Army has a requirement for some 500 8x8 APC (photo : Militaryphotos)
DSA 2010: Naza's maiden entry into the defence industry
Offers the Polish-made Rosomak 8X8 Armoured Modular Vehicle to the Malaysian Army
KUALA LUMPUR: One of Malaysia's biggest conglomerates, the Naza Group of Companies, have ventured into the highly-competitive but profitable defence industry with its maiden participation at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2010 exhibition and conference here which started yesterday.
Naza Bumar Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Naza Defence, unveiled its entry for the Malaysian Army armoured personnel carrier requirement by displaying the Polish-made Rosomak 8X8 Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV).
The vehicle is a licensed variant of the Finnish AMV. The Rosomak, which is ‘Wolverine’ in Polish, was developed by Naza Bumar’s partner Bumar Sp. z.o.o of Poland and currently in production for Poland's army.
The Rosomak is now being used by the Polish contingents in Afghanistan and Chad, and the same vehicles were deployed when Polish forces were involved in operations in Iraq.
The Malaysian Army has a requirement for some 500 8X8 APCs to replace the soon-to-be obsolete Condor and Sibmas armoured personnel carriers in use since the early 1980s.
Defence industry observers estimated that the contract could exceed RM2 billion, depending on the configurations ordered. Apart from troop carriers, several variants ranging from ambulance, command and control, air defence, mortar and gun carrier vehicles are expected to be ordered from the winning bidder.
The contract for the 8X8 APC is expected to be signed within the next 24 months once the funding issues, which resulted in its deferment two years ago, were resolved.
The Rosomak and two other 8X8 vehicles, the Turkish PARS and the Swiss-designed Mowag Piranha, were put on trial in Malaysia in 2006 in anticipation of the tender exercise.
The Rosomak is the licensebuilt variant of the Finnishdesigned AMV. The main feature of the Rosomak 8x8 AMV is its modular design, which allows the incorporation of different turrets, weapons, sensors and communications systems on the same platform. The vehicle weighs between 18 and 26 tonnes depending on variants with different armour, turrets and weapons systems, ammunition and crew configurations.
If chosen, the Rosomak will be the second Polish-built armoured vehicle to be inducted into the Malaysian army.
The army already operates Polish-built PT-91M main battle tank and variants of the same tanks as recovery vehicles and bridge-layer.
(MalayMail)
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