Govt can fine company over delays in delivering Black Hawk helicopters, says Mohamad

KUALA LUMPUR: Among the reasons that caused the late delivery of the four Black Hawk helicopters to Putrajaya was the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the stricter approval process by US regulators, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

According to the Defence Minister, these were the reasons given by Aerotree Defence & Services Sdn Bhd over the delays in delivering the helicopters.

“The war in Ukraine caused disruption in the supply chain and the approval process from US regulators has been tightened for the modernisation of technical specifications and the integration of avionics systems on a Black Hawk UH-60A aircraft.

“The work programme timeline and expected delivery of Black Hawk UH-60A aircraft to Malaysia has been revised and updated by Slovak Training Academy and all parties involved, based on the current supply chain condition and expected approval time from US regulators,” said Mohamad.

Mohamad said Putrajaya views the late delivery of helicopters seriously, as it could negatively impact the helicopter operations of the Malaysian Army Aviation unit.

“As outlined in the contract, if there were any delays on the delivery of the helicopters, the government can impose late fines over delays caused by the company.

“But, if the company still fails to deliver according to the agreed dates, the ministry can cancel this acquisition and reopen the tender, as mentioned in the contract,” said Mohamad.

On April 16, Chief of Army Gen Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan said the army would take further action if the appointed contractor failed to deliver the first Black Hawk helicopter by the end of last month.