Malaysia To Receive First Leonardo MPA By End 2026

MALAYSIA’S Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is expected to take delivery of its first P-72M Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Italian aerospace giant Leonardo before the end of 2026. This was announced during a visit by the nation’s defence minister Khaled Nordin to the firm’s facility in Turin, Italy.

Furthermore, the subsequent aircraft is scheduled to be handed over within the next three months of the first unit. The minister also added that progress on the programme has now exceeded 60% and is on schedule. Malaysia signed an estimated US$200 million deal for two P-72M MPAs with Leonardo during the previous Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) exhibition in 2023. The MPA procurement programme under the force’s Capability Development Plan 2055 (CAP 55) envisions an MPA fleet of six airframes to be procured in phases.

According to Leonardo, the twin-turboprop is to be fitted with the modular Leonardo ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) mission system which fuses all information gathered and provides operators with constantly updated tactical picture. The P-72M is to be tasked with anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) with secondary roles including maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations, surveillance of Malaysia’s maritime zones, joint operations with Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) units, and inter-agency enforcement with other government and security agencies.–shp/adj/dl (Pix:MINDEF)