Malaysia acquires French CAESAR artillery systems, eyes homegrown weapons for ANKA-S fleet, says Khaled

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Malaysia has formally procured CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers (SPH) from France, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed today.

“I can confirm that we have agreed on that procurement. That will be another asset added to our arsenal,” he told reporters after launching the National Defence Strategic Plan (PSPN) and the National Defence Capacity Action Plan at Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur today.

However, Khaled said details on the delivery timeline would be announced later and stressed that the procurement process would be carried out transparently.

“We have nothing to hide,” he added.

The Finance Ministry had reportedly given the green light for the procurement in 2024, but the Defence Ministry was asked to renegotiate the price of the artillery system before finalising the deal.

The Defence Ministry also reportedly allocated RM50 million for the first phase of the acquisition in November 2025 and said the process would be finalised this year.

Separately, Khaled defended Malaysia’s decision to acquire three ANKA-S unmanned aircraft systems from Turkey without offensive weaponry, citing operational requirements and cost-effectiveness.

“The purpose of ANKA-S is for surveillance and to gather intelligence.

“So, if it detects the presence of suspicious assets in our territories, we can deploy our other existing assets to neutralise the threats.

“The weapons for ANKA-S cost almost RM300 million. So, we will fit it with weapons only if we want to deploy it for offensive missions,” he said.

Khaled said Malaysia plans to acquire nine ANKA-S units in phases, with the first batch of three already deployed at the Labuan Air Base.

He said the agreement with Turkey also includes a technology transfer component that would enable Malaysia to develop its own weapon systems for the unmanned aircraft.

“So, when we develop our own weapons, then we will fit them into it (ANKA-S),” he added.