DefTech


DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies Sdn. Bhd., officially known as DefTech is a Malaysian defence contractor involved in the development, manufacture and supply of armoured and logistic vehicles for the military and homeland security. DefTech is also a supplier of specialised vehicles and commercial buses.Deftech takes a major milestone in aerospace and unmanned aerial vehicle industry after the acquisition of Composites Technology Research Malaysia.

History

On 17 October 1996, DefTech, a wholly owned subsidiary of DRB-HICOM was incorporated to contribute towards Malaysia’s industrialisation and self-reliant defence aspirations.
In 2001, DefTech established its armoured vehicle production in Pekan, Pahang at a cost of RM70 million to prepare for the collaboration with FNSS of Turkey to manufacture and supply the ACV-300 Adnan family of vehicles to the Ministry of Defence. The successful partnership translated into additional order for the vehicles.
Between 2011 and 2014, DefTech spent 500 million ringgit to upgrade its infrastructure, equipment and manpower to prepare for the development and production of the AV8 Gempita.
In 2014 also DefTech acquired a local aerospace company Composites Technology Research Malaysia under a multi million worth contract.

Facilities and Capabilities

Engineering Division and Corporate HQ

DefTech's corporate headquarters are located in a purpose built office complex in Section 15 Shah Alam, Selangor. It is collocated in the same area as DefTech's Engineering Division.
In June 2004, Deftech established its Engineering Division to widen the customer base. The main aim of establishing the Engineering Division was to :
The Engineering Division's factory has the following resources and facilities :
DefTech's Defence & Security Manufacturing Division plant is located at Pekan, Pahang, which was established at a cost of approximately RM70 million in 2001 under ACV-300 Adnan manufacture program. The Plant is situated on a 25.6 acre site and has a covered work area of approximately 180,000 sq feet. The plant is responsible for the manufacture of all armoured vehicles and was given a RM100 million upgrade in 2014 to prepare for the production of the AV8 Gempita.
The Plant is fitted with required resources and facilities and has the flexibility to undertake a variety of different jobs at once. It is also fully equipped with facilities which are capable of generating most of its requirements in house. The Plant also has:
DSSB is a fully owned subsidiary of DefTech and is located in Nilai Industrial Estate, Negeri Sembilan where it has a dedicated plant equipped to cater for the 3rd and 4th Line Maintenance of the Army’s fleet of armoured vehicles. The workshop is responsible for producing the turrets for the AV8 Gempita. The workshop facilities and equipment available at Nilai amongst others are as follows:
DefTech move further in defence industry especially in aerospace and unmanned aerial vehicle industry by taking over the Composites Technology Research Malaysia company and its subsidiaries. This company specialised in aero composites and unmanned system technology and some of their products already in service with Malaysian Armed Forces. With this acquisition there will be two division under DefTech which is :

DefTech Aviation

Focus on aerospace and composites technology for aircraft.

DefTech Unmanned System

Focus on unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

Products

Military

DefTech ACV-300 Adnan

In 2001, DefTech collaborated with FNSS to produce the ACV-300 Adnan for the Malaysian Army. DefTech was nominated by the government as the recipient of the Transfer of Technology package. The successful partnership translated into additional orders for the vehicle.
On 21 April 2008, DefTech signed a contract with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence for the delivery of 48 additional units of ACV-300 Adnan and 8 units of ACV-S 120mm Mortar Carrier. A total of 267 units were produced by DefTech.
The vehicle is fully amphibious without preparation, has high reliability and low cost of ownership, outstanding mobility in all terrain, high protection level, is simple to operate, maintain and repair and also air transportable by the Royal Malaysian Air Force C-130s.

RG34 (4x4)

As Malaysia's sole armoured vehicle manufacturing company, DefTech was involved in the locally production of South African-designed RG-34 MRAPs under licence.One prototype unveiled in 2006 but the procurement program about 200 vehicles was cancelled.

DefTech AV4 Lipanbara (4x4)

The DefTech AV4 is a four-wheeled light armoured vehicle manufactured by DefTech in compliance with NATO standards under license from Chaiseri of Thailand. The vehicle has a modular design to meet various roles & applications and is incorporated with well proven “Off-The-Shelf” automotive components for ensuring high reliability and easy logistic support worldwide.
The product is economical due to its simple and low maintenance design and is produced and assembled locally.

DefTech AV8 Gempita (8x8)

The DefTech AV8 is DefTech's most significant project, with 257 orders to date.
In June 2011, the Turkish Company FNSS signed a ‘letter of offer and acceptance’ by DRB-Hicom Defence Technologies for the assistance of design and development of the vehicles. The AV8 vehicle selected by the Malaysian military was based on the FNSS-designed Pars 8×8 multi-purpose, multi-mission, wheeled armoured vehicle. The contract included technology transfer arrangements to Deftech and logistics support for the Malaysian army, positioning the vehicle and its 12 variants to become Malaysia’s first indigenous family of 8×8 armoured wheeled vehicle.
In December 2014, the AV8 was officially inducted into service with the Malaysian Army in a ceremony at the DefTech plant in Pekan.

HICOM Handalan trucks

The HICOM Handalan trucks are multi-purpose logistics trucks made by DefTech for military purposes. The truck is one of DefTech's most produced designs, with 2,260 units produced for the Ministry of Defence across two variants, as well as 115 units for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and 6 units for the Royal Australian Air Force.
Main Features of the HICOM Handalan II Vehicle:
DefTech's commercial vehicles complement the military side of DefTech's business by meeting large quantity orders and providing continuous logistic support. DefTech is capable of producing and customising:
In 2010, DefTech won a contract to deliver 150 buses to Prasarana, Malaysia's public transport operator, in a contract worth 90 million ringgit.

Unmanned aerial vehicle