Malaysia’s defence budget sets out major procurement goals for 2026
Malaysian Army soldiers fire a Model 56 105mm pack howitzer during a firepower demonstration. (Photo: author)
The country has allocated RM21.70 billion for defence spending next year, with some major procurements set to be initiated across the country’s army, navy and air force.
On 10 October, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM21.70 billion (US$5.13 billion) for Malaysia’s 2026 defence budget. Of this, RM7.63 billion is allocated for both procurement and infrastructure development, with RM14.1 billion for operation expenditures, including pay and allowances for the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
Meanwhile, on 13 October, the Malaysian MoD began a tender for 36 105mm howitzers.
In his budget speech, the Prime Minister also announced that the MAF would initiate procurement of medium to short-range air defence systems (M-SHORAD) and very short-range defence systems (V-SHORAD) in 2026, along with two multi-role
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline]()
Canada’s new military drone marketplace targets rapid acquisition pipeline
The Department of National Defence expects initial contracts to deliver thousands of uncrewed systems, but has yet to establish the quantities, capability mix or deadline behind Ottawa’s promised tenfold expansion.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
-
![Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny]()
Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
