Malaysian Defense Industry Improves, Involves Military Research Imitating Saudi Arabia

Illustration. The process of transporting tanks using helicopters (doc. Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation-Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - Malaysia will launch its new national defense industry policy next year after its formulation has been approved by the cabinet.

Malaysia's Minister of Defense (Menhan), Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the policy would strengthen the national defense industry sector through innovation and technological advances, referring to what has been implemented in Saudi Arabia.

"We will also learn and understand the processes implemented by other countries, including Saudi Arabia," he said in Malaysia, quoted from Bernama, Thursday, November 6.

Malaysia's Defense Industry policy includes efforts to strengthen the domestic defense industry ecosystem, empower the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defense (STRIDE) as a research agency under the Ministry of Defense, and ensure technology transfers in every procurement carried out.

Previously, the Malaysian Defense Minister stated that Malaysia's intention to study the development model of the Saudi Arabian defense industry was in line with the government's efforts to strengthen this sector.

He said the visit of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, Raja Malaysia, to the Saudi Arabian Military Industry (SAMI) yesterday, provided an opportunity for Malaysia to review the approaches and models adopted in developing defense capabilities.

Founded in 2017, SAMI aims to advance Saudi Arabia's defense industry strategy by localizing military manufacturing and developing advanced defense systems, in line with Saudi Vision's 2030 goals.

SAMI operates through its five main sector units, namely aviation and space, defense systems, advanced electronics, land systems, and marine systems.