Japan will Participate for Malaysia Air Defense Radar Tender

21 Juni 2021

FPS-3 long range AESA radar (image : Asagumo News)

Government to export air defense radar to Malaysia Participation in bidding from next month

It was revealed on the June 19th that the government will participate in a bid starting next month for the export of air defense radar to Malaysia. If the order is successful, it will be the second radar export of domestically produced equipment after Philippines, which was contracted in August last year based on the three principles of defense equipment transfer that paved the way for overseas transfer of equipment. As the threat of Chinese military aircraft in the airspace around Malaysia becomes clear, it is meaningful to strengthen security cooperation in the South China Sea.

On June 2, this year, the Malaysian Ministry of Defense issued a bid announcement for the air defense radar that the Air Force will introduce for aircraft detection, requesting that it propose equipment that can be exported by the end of August. A briefing session on the contents of the bid will be held online on July 1, and the bidding procedure will begin.

Only one radar will be introduced for the time being, and it is expected that it will be selected over several months. It is expected that US companies such as Lockheed Martin and European companies such as Indra Systemas of Spain, which Japan lost in the radar export to Thailand in 2018, will also participate in the bidding, and fierce competition for orders is expected.

The radar that Japan proposes for export to Malaysia is likely to be made by Mitsubishi Electric, which received an order from the Philippines. For export to the Philippines, Mitsubishi Electric is developing and manufacturing a new radar based on the FPS3 radar operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, with the requirements of the Philippine Air Force, and the government will apply this proposal method to Malaysia as well.

As a prerequisite for export, the Defense Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement, which is an indispensable legal framework for having the partner country properly manage equipment, has already been concluded with Malaysia and has come into effect in 2018. Once the order is decided, the environment for smooth export is in place.

Strengthening airspace surveillance is an urgent issue for Malaysia. The Royal Malaysian Air Force announced on May 31 this year that it had confirmed that 16 Chinese military transport aircraft were approaching the airspace over the South China Sea off the coast of Borneo and had scrambled the air force aircraft. The transport plane was flying in a tactical formation within 60 nautical miles (about 110 km) from the coast.

It has been revealed that the government will participate in bidding for the export of air defense radar to Malaysia. Following the Philippines, which Japan succeeded in receiving orders in August last year, the need to increase radar in Malaysia is increasing as evidence that China's threat in the South China Sea is becoming more serious not only in the sea but also in the airspace.

"I'm not sure if China's threat has pushed the bid forward or the timing coincided, but Malaysia is certainly intensifying the sense of crisis."

A senior Japanese government official points out. Malaysia issued a radar bid announcement on June 2, this year. Two days before that, on May 31, a large number of Chinese military aircraft rushed to the vicinity of the airspace, passing near the air route of a civilian passenger aircraft, and the Malaysian Air Force detected by radar had just been forced to scramble by a fighter.

(Sankei)