Kuala Lumpur has awarded Italian defense firm Leonardo a contract to lease helicopters to the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed that the 16 billion Malaysian ringgit ($3.5 billion) deal will distribute 28 helicopters for 15 years, local news agency Utusan reported.
Under the framework agreement, Leonardo will supply 12 aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force, four for the Maritime Enforcement Agency, and two for the Navy.
The Royal Malaysian Police and the Fire & Rescue Department will receive seven and two units, respectively. The final helicopter is designated for the Prime Minister’s Department.
“With this lease concept, end-users such as [Malaysian Armed Forces] and its services no longer need to secure [maintenance, repair, and overhaul] contracts or purchase spare parts,” Defence Security Asia reported, quoting Nordin.
“Everything is handled by the leasing company, and this is a lease-to-own arrangement, meaning that after 15 years, the government has the option to purchase all 28 helicopters for a nominal RM1.”
Possible AW149
In October 2024, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Sri Mohammad Ab Rahman revealed that the military is in the process of evaluating Leonardo’s AW149 medium multirole military rotorcraft to replace the air force’s Nuri (Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King variant) fleet.
The plan will involve two stages of procurement, with the first to obtain 12 Combat Search and Rescue utility helicopters and the second for another dozen — all through leasing contracts.
Kuala Lumpur voided a separate rental contract consisting of four UH-60A Black Hawks for the Malaysian Army in early November due to the selected distributor failing to meet a deadline that was already extended until the end of October.
Leonardo’s Latest-Gen Medium Helicopter
The AW149 is an 18-meter (59-foot) long helicopter with a rotor diameter of 15 meters (49 feet).
It has a capacity for up to 19 personnel and payloads weighing approximately 3,880 kilograms (8,550 pounds).
The aircraft is powered by twin engines with about 2,000 horsepower each for a top speed of 170 knots (314 kilometers/196 miles per hour), a range of 545 nautical miles (1,009 kilometers/627 miles), and over five hours of endurance.
Users can arm the platform with missiles, rocket launchers, and precision strike weapons.