Thales expands Malaysian Armed Forces’ tactical comms

© Thales

More than 100 new radios from Thales will be introduced to the Malaysian Army, as part of the Self-Propelled Howitzer Programme to strengthen the safety of front-line personnel. Thales will also offer its Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) and radio systems for the AV4 armoured vehicle programme, as well as supplying 16 Airborne Radios to the helicopters of the Royal Malaysian Air Force in partnership with Weststar.
 
Malaysia’s National Defence Industry Policy, announced in January 2026, prioritises building a self-reliant and high-value domestic defence sector by 2030, centred on increasing technological transfers and developing local content. With over 11,000 radios currently in-service with the Malaysian Army, at DSA and NATSEC Asia 2026 (20th–23rd April) Thales announced several new tactical radio communications projects.
 
Thales is reinforcing its commitment to Malaysia with the announcement of a new assembly line for tactical radios in Segamat, Johor in partnership with ADS, a defence and security provider in Malaysia. This initiative will further entrench Thales’ industrial activities in the country, with the transfer of expertise and building blocks that will enable the future assembly of SYNAPS radios in the country. SYNAPS radios are designed to enable a smooth battlefield transformation towards collaborative combat and maintain a high degree of operational readiness. These radios will be built to suit the specifications of the Malaysian end-users, with over an expected 1,000 radios to be assembled in the coming six years. 
 
With the finalisation of the Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) programme of the Malaysian Army, Thales will equip the Army’s vehicles with over 100 advanced radios including the VHF 9315, HF XL, SYNAPS-H and SquadNet Radios. This project marks the first introduction of SYNAPS-H and SquadNet in Malaysia, enabling heightened coordination with various frontline units of the battlefield.
 
Aside from the SPH, the AV4 programme is also a critical part of the Malaysian Army’s wider effort to modernise its light armoured vehicle fleet and Thales has also been selected as a partner to provide Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs) for its Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) and radio systems. 
 
Thales will now extend its expertise to the Royal Malaysian Air Force with 16 units of TRA 6036 airborne radios to be equipped on helicopters, in partnership with Weststar. This marks Thales’ first deployment of airborne radios in Malaysia, enabling secure, reliable and interoperable communications amongst multiple forces.
 
Florian RIOU, Country Director, Thales in Malaysia, said: “As a partner to Malaysian defence for over 40 years, I am particularly proud that our credentials in radio communications technology have grown from strength to strength over the decades. Being able to deepen our industrial footprint with local assembly is testament to the trust that the Malaysian authorities and end-users have in our products. 

"With the rise in asymmetric threats, interoperability for missions in the sky or on land is critical. These agreements strengthen our commitment to Malaysia and I look forward to extending our support and technologies to the Malaysian Armed Forces as they modernise in the years to come."