The Weststar Group is pleased to announce that it has been recently appointed as the main contractor for Ministry of Defence Malaysia, (MINDEF) procurement of the latest state-of-the-art STARStreak Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) system from Thales Air Defense Limited UK.

The system is a leading VSHORAD system available in the market today, therefore providing MINDEF enhanced capability to protect key national assets against both established and emerging threats.

Witnessing the contract handover at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) were Malaysian Defense Minister YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and United Kingdom Minister of State for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne.

The Weststar Group Managing Director, Tan Sri Syed Azman said, “The deal involves MINDEF upgrading their existing missile defense system by capitalizing on the trade-in opportunity for the previous Starburst missiles with the much-improved Starstreak missiles. This has enabled MINDEF to realize substantial savings in the process.”

MINDEF is delighted with the procurement of the system, as it will be a key part of augmenting the capabilities of the nation’s air defense forces as a whole. The system is being procured in part of a trade-in program of the decommissioned Starburst missiles. The delivery of the integrated air defense system will come in a complete package that includes an air surveillance/engagement radar as well as a command and control system.

THALES has produced the fastest new generation very short-range air defense missiles that can accelerate to a peak velocity of Mach 3. These missiles boast the ability to fly a kilometer within a second. Furthermore, with the assistance of a laser beam, the operator controls all three of the dart-missiles simultaneously. As a result, the laser beam guide increases positive target and reduces the risk of collateral damage.

The STARStreak system has been designed to provide detection, threat evaluation, weapon allocation and engagement of a range of threats including fixed-wing, helicopters, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Malaysian defense industry will benefit through the offset program offered by THALES. Among the benefits to be reaped is the transfer of technology in hardware and software applications that correlate to the system as well as in other related fields. In addition, THALES has also offered training packages for the operator and technicians to ensure smooth operation over the life cycle of the system.

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