Japan to give Malaysia a counter-drone system in 1.65 billion yen security grant

· Drones

TLDR

  • Japan will give Malaysia a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen under its Official Security Assistance programme.1
  • Foreign Minister Motegi and Malaysian Defence Minister Khaled exchanged notes in Tokyo on 20 October.1
  • Bernama and Aviation Week put the value at about RM40 million, or US$9.4 million.23

Japan will provide Malaysia with a counter-drone system worth 1.65 billion yen (about US$9.4 million) as a free grant under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) programme, The Japan Times reports in a Jiji dispatch.1 Foreign Minister Motegi and Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin exchanged notes on the grant on Tuesday 20 October at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.1 The Japan Times says Malaysia sits beside the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, and that Japan aims to strengthen the Malaysian navy's surveillance capability and maritime security cooperation.1

None of the three reports names the system or its supplier. Aviation Week, whose full text was not readable, gives the value as about RM40 million (US$9.4 million) for an unspecified counter-UAS system.3 Bernama says Khaled's visit to Japan ran from 18 to 21 October and included talks with Defence Minister Koizumi.2 It adds that the two sides discussed annual ministerial meetings, explored a memorandum of understanding on maritime cooperation and a government-to-government approach to procurement.2 Bernama also lists Malaysia's earlier OSA packages: a 2023 grant of 400 million yen covering 14 VTOL UAVs, seven rescue boats and two lorries, and a 2025 grant of 3.1 billion yen covering a diving support vessel and equipment for ASEAN observers.2

Why it matters: the grant adds counter-drone equipment to Japan's security assistance for Malaysia, whose earlier packages, as Bernama lists them, covered UAVs, boats and maritime equipment; with the system and supplier unnamed, the next detail to watch is what Japan and Malaysia disclose about the product and its delivery timetable.

Sources

  1. Japan to provide Malaysia with counterdrone system (The Japan Times)
  2. Trust, Confidence Underpin Malaysia-Japan Defence Cooperation - Mohamed Khaled (Bernama)
  3. Japan To Gift Malaysia Counter-UAS System (Aviation Week)