The letter would be issued after all terms, clauses and specifications are agreed upon by the government and the related companies. He said the finance ministry had finalised both tenders.

The government has agreed to an offer by the Leonardo company of Italy for the supply of two maritime aircraft, and three unmanned aircraft from Turkish Aerospace Industries.

The three drones are medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft.

He said 136 four-wheel drive vehicles would be purchased for the army, at a cost of RM2 billion, while an expenditure of RM2.4 billion had been approved for maintenance of the air force’s F/A-18D fighter aircraft.

Hishammuddin said the purchase of the maritime aircraft and drones were provided for by the Malaysia Plan, as budget allocations were limited and insufficient for the procurement of strategic assets.

“The procurement has been carried out through international open tenders to ensure their transparency,” he said.

He said maintenance of the F/A-18D fighter aircraft would be carried out through close cooperation between Malaysia and the United States. The aircraft are produced by the US-based Boeing company.