Thales has been awarded a contract by the Malaysian Ministry of Defence to supply two additional Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400α) radar systems for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), the company announced on 22 May. The latest order follows a previous contract for the first radar system, which was awarded at the end of 2023.
Malaysia was also the launch customer for Thales’ earlier GM400 variant in 2009.
Thales stated that it will partner Malaysia’s Weststar Group to deliver the radar systems to the RMAF. The company added that it will also enhance the ability of the local workforce to operate and maintain the new radars via Transfer of Knowledge and Train-the-Trainer courses delivered under the Industrial Collaboration Programme (ICP).
“These latest agreements are recognition of how Thales’ solutions are supporting the needs of the Malaysian government and Malaysian forces,” said Thales International CEO Pascale Sourisse.
“Our air surveillance radars are bringing air superiority to the [RMAF] in some of the most challenging tropical environments,” added Sourisse.
According to Thales, the GM400α is an evolution of the baseline GM400 software-defined 3D air surveillance featuring an extended range of 515 km thanks to its gallium nitride (GaN) technology. The newer model operates in the S-band and is capable of detecting and tracking low-flying threats such as tactical uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), while simultaneously detecting and tracking higher-altitude threats such as fighter aircraft.
Thales also announced that it had signed a separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with local firm ADS to collaborate on the latest digital technologies for handheld radios and other tactical communications.
by Jr Ng
