Not just an exhibition: Malaysia eyes boosting local defence capacity and literacy through LIMA’27

KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Malaysia seeks to leverage the upcoming Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2027 (LIMA’27) to develop domestic defence capabilities and human capital to advance the country’s defence ambitions.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said LIMA, one of Asia-Pacific’s largest and most prestigious maritime and aerospace exhibitions, continues to be instrumental for Malaysia’s defence diplomacy.

This, he said, is reflected in the overwhelming response that the biennial exhibition drew since its soft launch during the Defence Services Asia (DSA) exhibition in April 2026.

“Within two months, approximately 40 per cent of the exhibition space has already been reserved by exhibitors from local and around the world.

“This early achievement reflects the international community’s confidence in Malaysia and reinforces LIMA’s position as a preferred platform for defence diplomacy, technological collaboration and strategic business engagement across the Asia-Pacific region,” Mohamed Khaled said in his speech.

The speech was delivered by Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Malek Razak Sulaiman during the official launch of LIMA’27 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) on July 7, 2026.

Mohamed Khaled, in his speech, said LIMA’27 targets to welcome 930 exhibiting companies — 15 per cent more than its previous editions — from 36 participating countries. 

The exhibition also aims to draw 60,000 trade visitors, close to 400,000 public visitors and 450 international delegates from 65 countries.

The exhibition is expected to showcase up to 110 air assets and nearly 90 naval assets.

Some of the cutting-edge systems that will be on display include autonomous vessel and UAV development tech, aeronautics and instrumentation tech, cyber security and artificial intelligence advanced weapons system and ammunition tech, critical infrastructure security and defence systems, satellite communications and defence systems, military air and sea base ground vehicle systems and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief systems.

Mohamed Khaled said LIMA’27 will also feature performances from four internationally renowned aerobatic display teams — a signature event of LIMA that draws thousands of visitors every edition.

The four teams include Black Eagles from South Korea, Al Fursan from the United Arab Emirates, Jupiter Aerobatic Team from Indonesia and the Russian Knights from Russia.

Mohamed Khaled said LIMA’27 will also introduce an expanded volunteer programme involving the public, especially Malaysian Armed Forces veterans and the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) students.

“This initiative will create opportunities for mentorship, knowledge sharing and meaningful participation while nurturing the next generation of defence professionals and strengthening the bond within the Malaysian defence community,” he added.

Boosting defence literacy and self-reliance

Meanwhile, Malek Razak said LIMA’27 would place a stronger focus on cyber warfare in addition to the air and sea domains, drawing from lessons of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in West Asia.

“This (cyber) technology has proven to be a game-changer, both at technical and operational levels, in the ongoing wars that we see today.

“So, LIMA is not just an exhibition of defence assets. It is a platform for us to discuss potential research and development collaborations for Malaysia to develop our own cyber-defence capabilities,” he said, during a separate press conference yesterday.

“We want to incorporate at least 30 to 40 per cent of local content into technologies or systems that we import from foreign countries,” he added.

This, he said, was in line with the aspirations of the National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030 that aims to boost Malaysia’s self-reliance in defence.

Similarly, secretary-general of Ministry of Defence Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali said LIMA’27 also aims to improve defence literacy among Malaysians — another key aspiration laid out in the National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030.

“The ministry continues to deliver information about our armed forces to Malaysians as our citizens are our first line of defence to uphold the country’s sovereignty.

“With the participation of so many countries, LIMA’27 would strengthen our continued efforts to educate the public about our defence diplomacy and global defence ties, which is a key priority in our National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030,” he said.

Lokman added that Malaysia will also be displaying some of its newly-procured assets such as the ANKA-S unmanned aerial vehicles and FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea at the exhibition.

Deepening trade and investment ties

The upcoming LIMA’27 will open the doors for local defence companies to explore collaborations with their foreign counterparts through joint ventures or new business models, the Defence Ministry’s defence industry division secretary Mohd Nizam Mohd Khir said.

Mohd Nizam said National Defence Strategic Plan 2026-2030 is currently paving the way for stronger participation of homegrown talents in defence production, ultimately aiming to entrench them into the global defence supply chain.

“Through foreign collaborations, we hope to drive research, development and innovation locally so that our local players can be part of the larger supply chain.

“Currently, we are targeting for at least 30 per cent of local content in all collaborations, which also includes the participation of local workforce,” he said.

LIMA’27 will run from April 20 to April 24, 2027 in Langkawi, Kedah under the theme “Sustainable Vision Across Sea, Sky and Space”.