Malaysia Confirms Lipan Bara Armoured Vehicles Will Stay in Service as Army Expands Mildef Tarantula Fleet

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Malaysian Army (TDM) has made clear that it has no intention of retiring the 20 Chaiseri-built Lipan Bara High Mobility Armoured Vehicles (HMAV), reinforcing its continuing reliance on the Thai-developed First Win 4×4 platform even as Malaysia accelerates the acquisition of the domestically produced Mildef Tarantula to replace ageing legacy assets dating back to the late 1980s.

Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari confirmed that all 20 Lipan Bara vehicles remain fully operational and continue to play an active role in both training and field deployments, underscoring the platform’s enduring utility despite the broader transformation underway within the Army’s armoured vehicle fleet.

Of the 20 units, 14 are assigned to the Royal Armoured Corps squadron located in Kota Belud, Sabah—an area of high operational significance given the region’s proximity to maritime and border security zones—while the remaining six vehicles are stationed at the Armoured Training Centre in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

Adly emphasised that every Lipan Bara vehicle is “fully functional and continues to support current operational needs,” signalling that the platform still holds tactical value despite the arrival of more modern armoured vehicles in the Malaysian military inventory.

The reassurance was provided in response to a parliamentary question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN–Tanah Merah), who sought clarification on whether the Army intended to retire its Lipan Bara fleet following the government’s decision to procure the Malaysian-built Mildef Tarantula 4×4 HMAV.

Ikmal Hisham’s question highlights a recurring policy concern regarding the balance between sustaining existing foreign-built platforms and transitioning towards indigenous or locally produced defence systems aligned with Malaysia’s long-term industrial and strategic priorities.

The Lipan Bara, based on Chaiseri’s First Win 4×4 armoured vehicle platform, entered Malaysian service in 2015 through a RM140 million acquisition programme, making Malaysia one of Thailand’s most prominent defence customers at that time.

The Malaysian version features several locally integrated subsystems, including elements installed through collaboration with DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (DEFTECH), which contributed to a partial localisation of the vehicle’s production and support ecosystem.

The First Win 4×4 was selected due to its value-for-money proposition, off-the-shelf availability, and combat-proven performance in counterinsurgency operations, particularly those conducted by Thai security forces in the southern provinces of Thailand.

Technically, the Lipan Bara is powered by a 300hp engine capable of supporting a payload capacity of up to two tonnes, providing the vehicle with the mobility needed to operate in Malaysia’s diverse terrain, from coastal marshlands to rugged interior highlands.

The vehicle’s survivability package includes armour systems compliant with NATO STANAG 4569 standards, offering ballistic and blast protection suitable for infantry mobility missions, convoy escort roles, and internal security operations.

Among its notable armament options is the integration of the 7.62mm M134D-H Gatling gun, a high-rate-of-fire weapon system capable of providing overwhelming suppressive fire, in addition to a 76mm grenade launcher and laser warning receiver system that enhance crew survivability during ambush scenarios.

While many of the Lipan Bara’s protection characteristics remain classified, the platform is widely understood to feature modular armour configurations that allow upgrades depending on mission requirements, maintaining its relevance in evolving operational environments.

Weighing 11.5 tonnes, the Lipan Bara carries more than two tonnes of payload, making it suitable for infantry transport, reconnaissance roles, and rapid-response deployments under the Army’s various command formations.

The platform also supports an array of optional weapon configurations, including 12.7mm heavy machine guns commonly used in Malaysian Army armoured units for convoy protection and vehicle-mounted fire support.

Despite the emergence of the Tarantula, the Lipan Bara continues to serve specialised roles, particularly in East Malaysia where its terrain-handling performance and operational familiarity have made it a dependable asset for units deployed in Sabah and Sarawak.

However, Malaysia’s rapidly shifting strategic environment—marked by increasing great-power competition in the South China Sea, cross-border security challenges, and rising expectations of joint-force readiness—has necessitated a modernisation roadmap that emphasises greater protection, mobility, and digital integration for future armoured platforms.

It is within this context that the Ministry of Defence is planning to acquire 136 units of the Tarantula 4×4 HMAV, signalling a significant expansion of Malaysia’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.

The Tarantula, developed within Malaysia by MILDEF Technologies with support from STRIDE and the Malaysian Armed Forces, represents the country’s most ambitious attempt to build a fully localised armoured vehicle with export potential.

According to Adly, the procurement of 136 units aligns with the Army’s requirement to replace legacy vehicles such as the Rheinmetall Condor and the Belgian-built Sibmas, both of which have been in service since the early 1980s and are increasingly costly to maintain.

These ageing platforms have become constrained by outdated protection levels, insufficient mobility for modern battlefield threats, and the absence of digital systems required for network-centric operations.

The Tarantula’s design addresses these gaps with a mobility suite optimised for Southeast Asian terrain, STANAG 4569 Level 2 protection, and a high local content ratio exceeding 70 percent, fulfilling Malaysia’s national defence industry policy objectives.

The Tarantula’s protection levels shield against 7.62mm armour-piercing rounds and fragmentation threats, making it suitable for modern counterinsurgency missions, convoy escort roles, and peacekeeping operations—missions in which Malaysian contingents frequently participate under UN deployments.

Beyond its protection suite, the Tarantula boasts modular weapon system compatibility, allowing the vehicle to be armed with machine guns, remote weapon stations (RWS), and potentially anti-armour or air-defence payloads depending on operational requirements.

In a parliamentary response last year, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed that the Tarantula passed all required technical specifications set by the Malaysian Army following a multi-stage evaluation process spanning several years and multiple countries.

These evaluations included the Vehicle Capability Assessment conducted in 2021, which subjected the Tarantula to real operational conditions such as off-road endurance, water-crossing trials, and high-temperature stress tests across Malaysia’s varied terrain.

The second evaluation phase—Company Capability Evaluation in February 2023—assessed MILDEF’s production scalability, supply chain resilience, and logistical framework to ensure long-term sustainability of fleet support.

A more intensive stage took place in Bangkok in July 2023, where the Defence Technology Institute (DTI) of Thailand conducted ballistic testing to validate armour compliance under controlled, internationally recognised protocols.

In October 2023, the Tarantula underwent mine-resistance testing at South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an institution globally respected for its expertise in armoured vehicle blast-testing, particularly for vehicles intended for peacekeeping and counter-insurgency environments.

According to the Defence Minister, these tests were essential to ensure that the Tarantula can survive real-world battlefield threats, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which remain a key operational concern in modern asymmetric conflict zones.

This multi-country testing campaign was also intended to boost confidence among potential foreign buyers, as the Tarantula is positioned as Malaysia’s first fully indigenous HMAV with future export ambitions.

MILDEF has previously indicated interest from several regional and Middle Eastern countries, reflecting growing demand for mine-resistant, ambush-protected (MRAP)-type vehicles with competitive pricing relative to Western counterparts.

The Malaysia-made vehicle’s affordability and local support ecosystem could make it highly attractive to militaries operating under budget constraints but requiring reliable armoured mobility solutions.

Industry analysts believe that if the Tarantula succeeds domestically, it could mirror the trajectory of Turkey’s Otokar Cobra or South Africa’s RG-31, both of which evolved from national requirements into globally recognised export successes.

While the Lipan Bara remains in service, Malaysia’s broader armoured transformation strategy appears to prioritise transitioning towards systems that offer industrial self-reliance, easier maintenance cycles, and a strong local vendor base.

However, defence planners are acutely aware that replacing legacy fleets must be conducted in phased, fiscally sustainable increments, which explains the Army’s decision to retain the Lipan Bara while the Tarantula procurement ramps up.

From a doctrinal perspective, the coexistence of both vehicles provides operational flexibility, enabling TDM to deploy the Lipan Bara in lower-intensity roles while reserving the Tarantula for higher-threat missions that require improved survivability.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister Adly also addressed an unrelated parliamentary question concerning the assessment of the Leonardo AW149 helicopter assembly facility in Melaka.

He clarified that the Ministry of Defence is not involved in the facility’s development, noting that it is strictly a business-to-business arrangement between private companies and the Melaka State Government.

The facility’s establishment stems from trilateral discussions involving the Melaka government, Italy’s Leonardo, and Westar Aviation Sdn Bhd, aligned with a leasing concession involving 28 helicopters for various government agencies.

This development highlights the evolving nature of Malaysia’s aerospace ecosystem, with increasing private-sector involvement in platform assembly, support, and industrial localisation efforts, parallel to government-led defence procurement strategies.

Analysts note that while the AW149 assembly facility is not a Ministry of Defence project, its presence in Malaysia could accelerate local aerospace capability-building and offer spillover benefits to the Armed Forces in the long term, particularly in maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO), and technical skill development.

For Malaysia, the convergence of domestically produced vehicles like the Tarantula and foreign-origin assembly initiatives such as the AW149 facility illustrates an evolving defence-industrial strategy that seeks to balance sovereign capability with international partnerships.

The Malaysian Army’s decision to retain the Lipan Bara, despite the arrival of the Tarantula, demonstrates a pragmatic approach to fleet management that ensures continued readiness while new platforms transition into service.

It also underscores a broader reality: defence modernisation must remain both financially viable and operationally coherent, especially for a mid-sized regional military like Malaysia navigating an increasingly complex strategic environment.

In the years ahead, the twin drivers of local industrial capability and operational necessity are expected to shape Malaysia’s armoured vehicle roadmap, with the Tarantula positioned as a core platform and the Lipan Bara continuing to serve until replacement timelines are fully realised.

As Malaysia advances its defence modernisation agenda through the Tarantula programme and broader industrial partnerships, the nation’s long-term strategy appears to prioritise both enhanced self-reliance and export competitiveness, marking a significant evolution in its national defence posture. — DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA