PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Armed Forces will ultimately benefit from the collaboration between DRB-Hicom Defense Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech) and Italian-based Iveco Defence Vehicles.

       Deftech chief executive officer Fazley Ariffin said working with Iveco would improve the quality of the vehicles used by the Armed Forces.

       He said Deftech was also pursuing an opportunity to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre for Iveco in Malaysia.

       Fazley said such a centre would be able to streamline all post-procurement maintenance processes by ensuring more effective and efficient services.

       "An agreement was made through a collaboration with Deftech's wholly-owned subsidiary, Defense Sales and Services Sdn Bhd with Iveco at the Asian Defence Services Exhibition (DSA) and the 2022 Asia National Security Exhibition (Natsec).

       "Deftech is committed to providing the Malaysian defence force with strong and reliable machinery," he told reporters when met at the exhibition on Thursday (March 31).

       Fazley also said the MRO centre would enable Iveco to manage the vehicle service directly and any potential vehicles as well as additional platforms that MAF would acquire in the future.

       He also said through the collaboration, Deftech would supply 150 units of the three-tonne, four-wheel GS Cargo trucks to the Armed Forces by mid-2023.

       "We are trying to complete everything for the first and second contracts of 218 units," he said, adding that it would be completed by 2035.