TAIPING: Cabinet has approved the acquisition of twelve ScanEagle drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), from the United States, valued at almost RM80 million.
However, the drones were acquired at no cost to the Malaysian government, as they were sponsored by the US for inclusion in the Maritime Security Initiative (MSI), Bernama reported.
The development was disclosed by Deputy Defence Minister Senator Liew Chin Tong here, on Thursday.
The drone acquisition raised controversy when Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member S Arutchelvan claimed that Malaysia had acquiesced to the US’s "imperialist agenda" when it accepted the 12 UAVs.
“We are friendly (and open to cooperation and strengthening military ties) with the US and China, without favouring any particular country,” Liew said when asked to comment on Arutchelvan’s claim.