No Flying Coffins Agong Orders Ministry To Scrap Black Hawk Deal

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Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has ordered the Defence Ministry to cancel its proposal to purchase old Black Hawk helicopters, which are more than 30 years old.
As the supreme commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, the king reminded the ministry not to repeat past mistakes.
“Don’t repeat the past mistake when we bought second-hand SkyHawk aircraft. Do we want to put our pilots in ‘flying coffins’? Think about it,” he said.
The Agong made the remarks in his Royal Address at the 60th Anniversary Parade of the Special Service Regiment at Kem Iskandar in Mersing, Johor, today.
In November, the Defence Ministry scrapped an RM187 million Black Hawk lease deal with Aerotree Defence and Services Sdn Bhd after the company failed to meet the October delivery deadline.
The helicopters were reportedly ordered to replace the Sikorsky S-61A-4 Nuri, suspended from service since 2020.
The four helicopters, meant to be leased for five years, were intended to serve as a platform for the army’s Air Team Nucleus, supporting training and operational flight missions.
Sultan Ibrahim further cautioned against the influence of intermediaries in military procurement.
“I believe this all happened because the Defence Ministry is full of ‘agents’ or former generals turned ‘salespersons’. Even textile sellers are trying to come in and sell drones.
“If every purchase has to follow the intermediaries’ pricing, then the allocated funds will never be enough. So, don’t try to fool me. If you don’t want to listen to me, then after this, I will no longer say anything,” he decreed. - Mkini

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