KUALA LUMPUR: Airbus SE and Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd (BHIC) have partnered to explore the joint development of military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities in Malaysia.
In a statement today, both entities said they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to look into how to leverage their respective expertise to advance local MRO capabilities for military fixed wing aircraft platforms, in support of the operators' fleet.
Airbus Defence and Space Asia Pacific head Johan Pelissier said the company had enjoyed a successful partnership with BHIC on military helicopter MRO and pilot training.
"We are excited to now strengthen this strong alliance as we study the possibility of expanding our local industrial presence to cover both rotary wing and military fixed wing MRO solutions, bringing better convenience to our customers," he said.
Pelissier said Airbus was also looking forward to contributing to Malaysia's Capability Development 2055 transformation plan as it introduced a new military fixed wing platform for maritime patrol missions in the coming years.
He said Malaysia was Airbus' largest supplier base in Southeast Asia as the country was a key market for for Airbus.
"Today's MoU signature is a clear demonstration of Airbus' full commitment to contribute to the country's development of a self-sustaining aerospace value chain," he added.
BHIC chief executive officer Sharifuddin Md Zaini Al-Manaf said it had identified the aerospace sector as one of the key growth segments to steer it forward.
"We are casting our net wider in this sector to enlarge our market base by capitalising on our existing facilities and MRO expertise," he said.
Airbus and BHIC has been partnering to support the growing Malaysian aerospace industry.
Their helicopter MRO joint venture, BHIC Aerospace Services, provides maintenance services for military helicopter operators.
Meanwhile, their Subang-based Airbus Helicopters Malaysia Simulation Centre joint venture houses the region's only training simulators for the H225 and H225M helicopters, as well as a second simulator for the AS365 Dauphin training.
Airbus said it had been a strategic partner to Malaysia for over 40 years, playing a major role in local aerospace ecosystem development through direct procurement and the country's industrial collaboration programmes.
It said the co-operation would add a potential new dimension to its in-country industrial footprint while positioning Malaysia as its regional engineering and maintenance hub in the country, handling activities for commercial aircraft and helicopters.