A controversial Black Hawk deal has been scrapped after Sultan Ibrahim intervened, calling out 'flying coffins' and high procurement costs When two helicopters collided in Malaysia last year, killing 10 naval officers, it served as a wake-up call for a military that for too long has been dependent on ageing equipment.
Though the aircraft involved in that crash were relatively new, many others are not. Now, the king himself has intervened, calling out "nonsensical and unacceptable" procurement practices and forcing the cancellation of a deal for a fleet of 35-year-old Black Hawks.
At an event last Sunday, Sultan Ibrahim, Malaysia's monarch and supreme commander of its armed forces, broke with convention to accuse the Ministry of Defence of wasting public money on outdated or unsuitable equipment, often at inflated prices.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
"Don't waste time buying ridiculous things that are not suitable for the military," he told the assembled troops at a commando anniversary event. "If you don't know the price, ask me first."
The king recalled personally questioning a 5 million ringgit (US$1.2 million) boat purchase for commando use five years ago, saying he could have secured a better vessel for less than half the cost. He also lambasted delays in building a training pool at the same camp that was promised in 2022 but still isn't ready.
In unusually blunt language, Sultan Ibrahim warned defence officials against trying to mislead him with inflated costs. He blasted the plans to procure 35-year-old Black Hawks and recalled past acquisitions of second-hand A-4 Skyhawks, which he called "flying coffins".
Within days, the royal rebuke had altered policy. On Tuesday, armed forces chief Mohd Nizam Jaffar confirmed that the 187 million ringgit (US$44 million) contract for four Black Hawks had been scrapped.
"ATM has always upheld and complied with the king's directive regarding the purchase of old Black Hawk helicopters, most of which are over 30 years old," he said in a statement, using the Malay acronym for the armed forces. "We will not even propose a Black Hawk [in the future] and have taken note of His Majesty's wishes."
A martial monarch
Though Malaysia's kings automatically become supreme commanders of the armed forces when it is their turn to ascend the throne under the country's unique system of rotating monarchy, Sultan Ibrahim's military pedigree sets him apart.
He trained with the US Army Special Forces and Indonesia's elite Kopassus unit, earning the coveted Green Beret and wings and being recognised by both countries' militaries.
Better known to the Malaysian public for his turquoise Bugatti Veyron and penchant for piloting his own helicopter and plane, Sultan Ibrahim has long demonstrated a personal interest in defence matters. His home state of Johor maintains its own military force, founded in 1886 by a previous sultan - predating the nation's armed forces by almost half a century.
In his speech, the king accused the Ministry of Defence of being "full of 'agents' or former generals who have become 'salesmen'", in a sharp criticism of the revolving door that exists between retired military officers and defence contractors.
Sultan Ibrahim's warning was grounded in tragedy. Not only did it follow last April's deadly helicopter collision during a parade rehearsal, but a month earlier, another helicopter belonging to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency had crashed into the Strait of Malacca.
While the king's intervention was unorthodox, analyst Geshina Ayu Mat Saat told This Week in Asia that it might have saved the military from a costly mistake.
"He pinpointed systemic failures in defence procurement that have been open secrets for years: delays, cost overruns, equipment that fails to meet operational requirements and unforeseen maintenance or supporting needs and costs," said the lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia.
"It confirms these are not just political footballs or administrative failures but are now matters of such critical national importance that they demand a transcendent voice to break the cycle of inaction."
Sultan Ibrahim's comments also showed "the incompetence of military officers who are supposed to provide security for the country", added political scientist Tunku Mohar Mokhtar of the International Islamic University Malaysia.
The rebuke also comes as Malaysia has been grappling with wider failures in defence procurement. The 2025 Auditor General's Report, released last month, revealed serious delays in a 7.8 billion ringgit (US$1.84 billion) contract for armoured vehicles, including a more than two-year delay in delivering 68 AV8 Gempitas, amphibious multirole armoured vehicles developed by the Malaysian defence company DefTech with the help of the Turkish defence company FNSS.
Despite such delays, contractors were paid in full and penalties for late delivery had yet to be enforced, the report found.
Last year's audit uncovered similar shortcomings: the navy had received only four of its planned 18 new vessels, leaving it reliant on ageing ships. Meanwhile, the long-running Littoral Combat Ship project, launched in 2011, has yet to produce a single vessel despite 6 billion ringgit already being spent.
The failures have left Malaysia dependent on foreign handouts. In 2024, the US Coast Guard donated a decommissioned patrol boat to help plug gaps in Malaysia's maritime security.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has publicly acknowledged the shortfall. At last year's Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, he conceded that Malaysia "does not have the capacity" to monitor its own waters after being asked about allegations from Washington that sanctioned Iranian oil has been transshipped off the coast of the country.
Thomas Daniel, a foreign policy and security studies analyst at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, warned that the procurement deficiencies were undermining national security through the "hollowing out of Malaysia's naval and aerial capabilities".
"We do not possess a sufficient level of deterrence and this directly affects the strategic space and options that defence planners and policymakers have," he said.
Sultan Ibrahim's military credentials certainly lend unusual force to his words. But whether his warning marks the beginning of a reckoning for a system in need of structural reform remains to be seen.
More Articles from SCMP
Hong Kong plans new digital platform to cut specialist clinic wait times by 25%
Why China’s DF-31 missiles remain effective deterrents decades after debut
Ronaldo wows Hong Kong as Saudi Super Cup given ‘very satisfactory’ verdict
Luxury Hong Kong home at Redhill Peninsula burgled, HK$400,000 of items missing
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.