DSA 2026: Boustead Signs Strategic Agreements With ASELSAN, Uzma To Advance Malaysia's SATCOM And GEOINT Capabilities
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- Boustead Holdings Berhad today formalised strategic collaborations with ASELSAN Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. and Uzma Space and Defence Sdn Bhd (US&D) to strengthen Malaysia’s satellite communications (SATCOM) and geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities.
In a statement, Boustead said the Teaming Agreement with Turkiye's leading defence electronics company ASELSAN and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with US&D reflect a coordinated effort with both international and local technology partners to enhance national defence and intelligence infrastructure.
The agreements were signed by Boustead Group Managing Director Datuk Dr Ahmad Sabirin Arshad, ASELSAN Executive Vice-President of Communication and Information Strategies Dr Yusuf Bora Kartal, and US&D Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Fadhli Jamaluddin.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
Ahmad Sabirin said that by partnering with both global and local technology players, the company aims to strengthen national capabilities, enhance situational awareness, and support more resilient and future-ready defence operations.
"These collaborations reflect Boustead's continued focus on advancing Malaysia's capabilities in satellite communications and geospatial intelligence," he said.
The Teaming Agreement with ASELSAN reflects the intention to jointly explore opportunities in developing SATCOM systems across both ground and space segments, as well as the potential development of Malaysia's national Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) communication satellite.
Under the agreement, both parties will collaborate on the promotion, marketing, and potential deployment of ASELSAN's satellite communication solutions, while working towards establishing a joint satellite development team to support localisation and long-term capability building.
The collaboration will also include technical workshops on SATCOM mission architecture and training initiatives for relevant stakeholders, including the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Yusuf Bora stated that by combining ASELSAN's technological expertise with Boustead's strong local presence, they aim to contribute to the development of advanced and sustainable communication capabilities for Malaysia Uzma Berhad representative
Meanwhile, the MoU with US&D reflects the parties' intention to jointly explore and establish strategic capabilities in SATCOM and GEOINT, particularly in support of defence, security, and national applications.
Both parties will collaborate on the development of multi-orbit satellite architecture systems, as well as GEOINT platforms incorporating satellite imagery, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics, and data fusion.
The collaboration will explore key use cases, including border security monitoring, maritime domain awareness, critical infrastructure protection, and disaster response.
Uzma Berhad representative, Datuk Kamarul Redzuan, said the combination of their expertise in satellite technologies and geospatial analytics with Boustead's strategic positioning aims to develop solutions that enhance situational awareness and operational effectiveness.
He emphasised that US&D is focused on building integrated capabilities across satellite communications, geospatial data, and AI-driven analytics, allowing them to move beyond data acquisition into delivering actionable intelligence supporting real-world operational needs.
The agreements serve as non-binding frameworks for collaboration and do not create financial obligations at this stage, with specific initiatives to be formalised through separate definitive agreements.
-- BERNAMA
