Delivery of 20 APCs to MALBATT will be completed by Q4 next year - Mindef

KUALA LUMPUR: The delivery of 20 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) for use by the Malaysian Peacekeeping Battalion (MALBATT) 850 in Lebanon will be completed by the fourth quarter (Q4) of next year, according to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

MINDEF Strategic Communications Unit in a statement today said that the government contract for the procurement, commissioning and delivery of the APCs was signed by the ministry on Dec 3, 2021 with the delivery completion date set for Dec 2, 2024.

"Under the contract, the appointed company will supply a total of 20 units of APC vehicles for use by the MALBATT 850 team in Lebanon," said the statement.

The statement was issued in response to an online newspaper report yesterday that quoted the operator of a Twitter account by the name of Malaysia Defense Review which reported that the 20 APCs that were supposed to be operational in 2023 will arrive late, from 2026 to 2028.

-- BERNAMA