KOTA TINGGI: The company that won the contract to lease four Black Hawk helicopters to the army must deliver the machines next month or the deal will terminated.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said October would be the final extension of the deal as the contractors failed to meet the earlier deadlines.
Local air service provider Aerotree Defence & Services Sdn Bhd signed a contract in May last year to lease four Sikorsky UH-60A+ Black Hawk helicopters to the army's Air Corps.
Under the RM187 million deal, the first helicopter was supposed to delivered in November last year, but that deadline was pushed to April this year.
"If the contractor fails to meet the new deadline, action will be taken… including terminating the contract," he told a press conference after the launch of My Villa at the Dewan Felda Air Tawar 3, here, today.
In August, the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC) outlined the possible options for the Army to cancel the Black Hawk lease, due to the delivery delays.
In the July, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said in the Dewan Rakyat that Aerotree attributed the delays to the prolonged war in Ukraine, which had caused supply chain disruptions and tighter approval condiction by the United States regulators.
On another matter, Khaled said the investigations into the death of a mine clearance diver from the Naval Diving and Mine Warfare Headquarters during efforts to salvage the sunken KD Pendekar, is expected to be ready within a month.
Leading Seaman I Arman San Hermansa drowned last Wednesday.
He added although the autopsy was concluded, but a thorough investigation is needed to determine the exact cause of death.