Local Ammunition Sector Explores Oil Palm Biomass For Propellant To Boost Resilience

By Abdul Rahman Fahmi Abdul Aziz

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's ammunition manufacturing sector is proactively strengthening its resilience and exploring sustainable local alternatives to ensure the nation’s defence requirements remain secure amid global supply chain challenges.

Leading this effort is local ammunition manufacturer Ketech Asia Sdn Bhd, which is collaborating with Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) to develop ammunition propellants derived from oil palm biomass.

Speaking to Bernama in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (NATSEC) Asia 2026, Ketech Asia project director Rahayu Bahaudin said the long-term initiative aims to shield the country from geopolitical shocks and skyrocketing raw material prices, particularly the constant global shortage of conventional propellants.

She explained that the current global propellant industry relies heavily on cotton, which yields a high concentration of up to 80 per cent for the propellant formulations. 

While oil palm biomass may yield a lower concentration than cotton, she said the massive abundance of this agricultural waste in Malaysia makes it a highly viable and sustainable alternative.

“In Malaysia, there is an abundance of oil palm biomass. Instead of discarding the husks and waste, we can actually convert and reuse them, as it promotes a green environment, as we reuse waste materials.

“Secondly, it allows us to become truly self-reliant. The intention is there for us to self-produce our propellants so we can cut costs and no longer depend on imports,” she said. 

Rahayu noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with UPNM, and multiple stages of lab testing by the university's researchers have already proven successful. 

Ketech Asia, she said, is currently providing technical assistance to help scale up the research from a laboratory setting into a real manufacturing capability.

“We are actively assisting them to scale up. They conduct live-fire testing at our factory, and we have brought them to meet our machine manufacturers to assess the viability of the mass production,” she added.

Rahayu previously noted that the massive global demand for defence raw materials has caused the price of imported propellants to surge by three to four times.

Ketech Asia operates the country's first highly automated ammunition manufacturing facility in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, which is currently capable of producing up to 130 million rounds of 9mm and 5.56mm ammunition annually to cater to domestic security agencies' needs.

-- BERNAMA