KUALA LUMPUR: In the wake of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) crash on Wednesday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein warned he would blacklist companies that have procured government contracts but failed to uphold their part of the bargain.

Urging close cooperation between the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), his ministry and private sector organisations tasked with servicing military assets, he said, “It is the only way to ensure the safety of our men and women.”

“If the companies which have been raking in profits from our contracts do not honour their part of the agreement, I will blacklist them,” he said after launching the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security (Midas) building here Thursday.

Earlier, Hishammuddin said that the remaining Beechcraft B200T aircraft will be grounded indefinitely as a precaution, after one of the four aircraft owned by the RMAF crashed on Wednesday.

He added that he had instructed the newly appointed RMAF chief Datuk Seri General Affendi Buang to personally lead the investigation into the crash.

“This is (not) an isolated incident; there have been a few incidents in the past, so we need to focus on making sure our assets are safe,” he said.

Hishammuddin added that this did not mean that the crash was due to a mechanical failure, stressing that investigations are still ongoing.

He also said this was the first such incident involving a B200T, which has been in use with the RMAF since 1994.

At 5.18pm Wednesday, an RMAF Beechcraft B200T aircraft crashed at the Butterworth airbase, killing the pilot and injuring three others.

Hishammuddin also offered his deepest condolences to the families of the pilot and crew of the downed aircraft.-thestar