Weststar Defence Industries
Weststar Defence Industries Sdn Bhd also known as Weststar is a Malaysian defence contractor involved in the development, manufacture and distribution of military and law enforcement vehicles, as well as providing consultancy services. Through its subsidiary Global Komited, this company play an important role in supplying military equipment to Malaysian Armed Forces.[1]
| Industry | Defence |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | |
Area served | South East Asia |
| Products | Vehicles Military/law enforcement equipment Industry/technology consultation |
| Parent | Weststar Group |
| Subsidiaries | Global Komited |
| Website | Weststar Defence Industries Weststar Global Komited |
History
It was established in 2003 as a Ford vehicle dealership before it moved to the defense industry in 2007.[2]
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. 11 GS trucks were supplied in 2012.[3][4]
On April 16, 2014, a contract was signed with Thales in order to promote various air defense systems to the Malaysian Armed Forces.
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 which partnered with Weststar subsidiary, Global Komited announced that it had signed a contract to supply the Malaysian Armed Forces 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]
On April 20, 2016, Weststar received a contract from the Malaysian Armed Forces to equip them with 44 Weststar GK-M1 Rapid Rover vehicles. An additional 44 were also expected to be ordered. They would be installed 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]
Products
- Weststar GK-M1
- Weststar GS Cargo
References
- "Global Komited". Weststar Group. Archived from the original on 2016-10-31. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "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. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "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. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "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. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "East Timor selects Weststar cargo military vehicles". Shephard Media. 2014-06-10. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "Thales to provide Forceshield and Starstreak to Malaysia". Army Recognition. 2015-09-15. Archived from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "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.
- Tim Fish (2016-04-19). "DSA 2016: GK-M1 trials continue". Shephard Media. Archived from the original on 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- "New Weststar 4x4 Defence Special Operations Vehicle SOV at DSA 2016". Army Recognition. 2016-04-19. Archived from the original on 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2017-06-14.