Weststar GK-M1 is a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n military light utility vehicle or light tactical vehicle designed and manufactured by Weststar Defence Industries.

History

Weststar delivered an unknown quantity of the GK-M1 in 2015. On April 20, 2016, Weststar received another contract from the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ms, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia; Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active pers ...

to equip them with 44 Weststar GK-M1 Rapid Rover vehicles. An additional 44 were also to be ordered. During the Defence & Security Exhibition 2015 convention,

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...

announced that it had signed a contract to supply the Malaysian Armed Forces with ForceSHIELD anti-air defense system which is consist of

Starstreak Starstreak is a British short-range surface to air missile that can be used as a man-portable air-defence system (MANPADS) or in heavier systems, manufactured by Thales Air Defence (formerly Shorts Missile Systems), in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ...

missiles, Control Master 200 radar and weapon control system. This system will be install on Weststar GK-M1.

Design

The GK-M1 is outfitted with a

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

engine.

Variants

Fitted For Radio

Command and communication vehicle to accommodate communications equipment.

Ambulance

Ambulance vehicle with accommodation of stretchers in the rear compartment.

Special Operation Vehicle

An off-road vehicle for special forces units made with COTS parts, unveiled in Defence Service Asia 2016. Offered to the

Grup Gerak Khas The 21st Special Service Group (Abbr.: 21 SSG, ) is a command for Malaysian Army special forces, the '' Gerak Khas''. The 21 SSG and 10th Parachute Brigade are elite fighting formations of the Malaysian Army. Both units are independent units unde ...

under the light strike vehicle procurement program.

Weapon Carrier

A variant equipped with weapons on top of the vehicle. Weapons mounted include the M134D-H minigun.

Air Defence

Air defence variant equipped with

surface-to-air missiles. They're installed through a Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML).

Operators

* : 100+ GK-M1s reported in service with the Malaysian Army as of 2020.

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Indonesian Light Strike Vehicle The Indonesian Light Strike Vehicle (ILSV) known as J-Forces Hurricane for export markets is a family of light military vehicles produced by J-Forces, under PT Jala Berikat Nusantara Perkasa. This vehicle was first introduced at Indo Defense 2014 ...

, Indonesian military light vehicle *

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, Chinese military vehicle

References

{{reflist Military light utility vehicles Armoured fighting vehicles of Malaysia Military vehicles of Malaysia Off-road vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 2010s