Company:Weststar Defence

From HandWiki
Weststar Defence Industries
IndustryDefence
Headquarters
Malaysia
Area served
South East Asia
ProductsVehicles
Military/law enforcement equipment
Industry/technology consultation
ParentWeststar Group
SubsidiariesGlobal Komited
Websiteweststardefenceind.wixsite.com/weststar-defence

Weststar Defence Industries Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian defence contractor involved in the development, manufacture and distribution of military and law enforcement vehicles, as well as providing consultancy services.

Its subsidiary is Global Komited Sdn. Bhd., which supplies and fabricates vehicles, as well as supplying military equipment.[1] It was established in 2003 as a Ford vehicle dealership before it moved to the defense industry in 2007.[2]

History

On March 6, 2012, the Malaysian Defense Ministry announced that Weststar would supply the Malaysian Armed Forces with the General Service (GS) cargo pickup trucks.[3] 11 GS trucks were supplied in 2012.[4]

On April 16, 2014, a contract was signed with Thales in order to promote various air defense systems to the Malaysian military.

On June 10, 2014, Weststar was awarded a contract to supply the Timor Leste Defence Force with GS trucks. 40 vehicles were to be delivered before the end of the year.[5] The contract was priced at RM11 million (£2 million).[5]

During the Defence & Security Exhibition 2015 convention, Thales announced that it had signed a contract to supply the Malaysian military with FORCESHIELD to serve as its anti-air defense system. This included Starstreak missiles, Control Master 200 radar and weapon coordination systems, and Rapid Ranger and Rapid Rover mobile weapon systems.[6][6]

On April 20, 2016, Weststar received a contract from the Malaysian Armed Force to equip them with 44 Weststar GK-M1 Rapid Rover vehicles. An additional 44 were also expected to be ordered. They would be outfitted with the Starstreak very short-range air defence (VSHORAD) missile on a Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML) system.[7] Prototypes were tested after the contract was announced.[8]

At the DSA 2016 exhibition, Weststar unveiled the Special Operations Vehicle (SOV) to visitors to showcase it to potential customers.[9] According to Managing Director Azman Syed Ibrahim, the SOV and other vehicles in the exhibit are unmatched "in reliability, ease of maintenance and low through life costs, Weststar Defence’s cross-functional military and security vehicles provide an innovative breakthrough in satisfying diverse operational requirements for various services."[10]

On April 21, 2016, a contract was signed with Finmeccanicas to supply AW159 helicopters to Kuala Lumpur.[11]

References

  1. "Global Komited". Weststar Group. Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20161031102832/http://weststar.com.my/main/index.php/global-komited-2/. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  2. "Malaysia’s Global Komited and Thales sign partnership agreement for distribution of Ground Based Air Defence systems in Malaysia". Thales Group. 2016-06-14. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614134034/https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/defence/press-release/malaysias-global-komited-and-thales-sign-partnership-agreement. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  3. "New 4x4 light tactical vehicle for the Malaysian armed forces the Weststar GSC 3/4 ton". Army Recognition. 2012-03-06. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614131723/http://www.armyrecognition.com/march_2012_new_army_military_defence_industry/new_4x4_light_tactical_vehicle_for_the_malaysian_armed_forces_the_weststar_gsc_3/4_ton_0603122.html. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  4. "Weststar 4x4 GS Cargo, the new 4x4 light tactical cargo troop carrier vehicle of Malaysian army". Army Recognition. 2012-04-20. Archived from the original on 2012-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20120628062544/http://www.armyrecognition.com/dsa_2012_defense_exhibition_malaysia_news/weststar_4x4_gs_cargo_new_4x4_light_tactical_cargo_troop_carrier_vehicle_malaysian_army_2004123.html. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 "East Timor selects Weststar cargo military vehicles". Shephard Media. 2014-06-10. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614104428/https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/east-timor-selects-weststar-cargo-military-vehicle/. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Thales to provide Forceshield and Starstreak to Malaysia". Army Recognition. 2015-09-15. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20150919072107/http://www.armyrecognition.com/dsei_2015_news_online_show_daily_coverage_report_u/thales_to_provide_forceshield_and_starstreak_to_malaysia_41509151.html. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  7. "Weststar Defence Industries Signs Procurement Contract with MINDEF for the Supply and Commissioning of STARStreak VSHORAD Ground Based Air Defence System" (pdf) (Press release). Weststar Group. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  8. Tim Fish (2016-04-19). "DSA 2016: GK-M1 trials continue". Shephard Media. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614135544/https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/landwarfareintl/dsa-2016-gk-m1-trials-continue/. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  9. "New Weststar 4x4 Defence Special Operations Vehicle SOV at DSA 2016". Army Recognition. 2016-04-19. Archived from the original on 2016-07-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20160726030923/http://www.armyrecognition.com/dsa_2016_official_online_show_daily_news/new_weststar_4x4_defence_special_operations_vehicle_sov_at_dsa_2016_11904165.html. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  10. "Weststar Defence Showcases Specialised Vehicles". 2016-04-19. p. 5. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614141247/https://omegaresearchfoundation.org/sites/default/files/uploads/DSA_2016_eMagazine_-_Day_2_Issue__.pdf. Retrieved 2017-06-14. 
  11. "Weststar unit signs accord with Italian helicopter firm". The Star. 2016-04-21. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20160422020426/http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/04/21/weststar-unit-signs-accord-with-italian-helicopter-firm/. Retrieved 2017-06-14.