by Robin Augustin – Free Malaysia Today - March 26, 2019 12:35 PM
LANGKAWI: Sapura Secured Technologies today unveiled the latest in its line of military radios, the TRC 5200, to be used by the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Speaking to reporters at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition 2019 (LIMA ’19), Mohd Zarif Hashim, CEO of the defence electronics company, said the TRC 5200 has better range and bandwidth than its predecessor. This enables it to transmit both video and data and benefit from better power consumption and encryption.
The TRC 5200 was launched by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who in 1997, during his first stint as prime minister, also launched Sapura’s first-generation military radio, the TRC 5102.
While the earlier versions of its military radio were developed in collaboration with a global technology partner, Zarif said Sapura has over the years mastered the technology and capability to fully design, develop and manufacture its products locally.
The predecessor of the TRC 5200 has been exported for use by militaries in the Middle East and North Africa.
“With today’s launch, we hope to include our latest product as part of our global offering.
“We hope to initially sell 1,000 units a year, which for military radios is quite a daunting task,” he said, adding that the TRC 5200 took two years to develop.
He added that the TRC 5200, which is 100% locally designed and developed, is the product of Sapura’s efforts over the past 20 years, which has seen it spending over US$100 million on research and development.
The plan is to sell the TRC 5200 to countries in the region, Middle East and North Africa, as well as markets around the world through Sapura’s global partners.
Zarif said he was glad that Mahathir had launched the new radio, as Sapura had taken the cue from the prime minister’s Vision 2020 to become a global player in defence electronics.
“Sapura has been developing mission-critical technologies for 20 years. We are among the few companies locally involved in defence electronics,” he said.
He added that the TRC 5200 is an example of the development of indigenous knowledge, technology and capabilities to support the armed forces, something which Mahathir had referred to in his speech at the opening ceremony this morning.
