Armor: May 4, 2000

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Malaysia wants to buy a battalion of 66-78 main battle tanks. It is considering numerous alternatives, but wants an inexpensive vehicle and not a 70-ton monster such as the M1A2 or Leopard-2A6. It is considering the Russian T90, Ukrainian T84, and the South African Rooikat armored car, among others. Malaysia is expected to buy 211 Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles from Turkey, covering 10 different variants. Malaysia's Penang Shipbuilding has signed a license to produce Royal Ordnance 105mm L119 Light Guns. The Malaysian Army is said to want 150 of these cannon, which will be designated SAKTI in Malaysian service.--Stephen V Cole