sme ordinance

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
243 words
20 May 2011
Bernama Daily Malaysian News
BRNAMA
English
(c) 2011 Bernama - Malaysian National News Agency

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya

Malaysia has suggested producing the assault rifle Colt M4 Carbine with Indonesia and Thailand under the Asean Defence Industry Collaboration programme.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today that Malaysia made the proposal because a big company in the country had been given the licence to produce the rifle with 85 per cent local components.

If Indonesia and Thailand agreed, a special purpose vehicle would be set up as a company to facilitate the collaboration, he told reporters here.

The concept paper on collaboration in the defence industry prepared by Malaysia was accepted by the Asean Defence Ministers meeting which ended yesterday.

The Colt M4 Carbine is the assault rifle used by the American army.

The Malaysian arms company SME Ordnance Sdn Bhd signed an agreement with Colt Defence LLC in 2007 to buy 14,000 Colt M4 carbines, all of which were delivered in June 2008.

SME signed another contract with the company in February this year for the supply of 116,000 carbines over seven years, the delivery pending the approval of the US Congress.

After the transfer of technology, Malaysia would be allowed to sell locally made carbines to Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and other countries using the Colt M4. Ahmad Zahid said that agreement could be reached for Indonesia and Thailand to produce certain components for the rifle to be assembled in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA

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Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia (Bernama)

Document BRNAMA0020110523e75k00044