DSA 2026: Cendana unveils a 4x4 military vehicle

Cendana's Vex-9 is seen displayed at DSA 2026. (Janes/Sohini Mandal)

Malaysian company Cendana has unveiled a 4x4 military vehicle, designated the Vex-9 multirole operations vehicle, at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2026 exhibition, held in Kuala Lumpur from 20 to 23 April.

Cendana engineer Iliya Harith Idris told Janes that development of the vehicle began in February and remains at an early stage. “The vehicle is still in the prototype stage, but we want to push [the Malaysian Army into] testing the vehicle,” Idris said.

According to Idris, both internal testing and trials with the Malaysian Army are planned as a future phase. He added that the Vex‑9 is currently being offered as a potential capability, rather than as an operationally validated system.

Idris said the Vex‑9 is customisable to meet customer requirements. The vehicle features six smoke grenade launchers, arranged in three per side, and is fitted with a roof-mounted weapon station.

Cendana estimates that production of a single Vex‑9 vehicle would take about three weeks. A batch of approximately 20 vehicles could be delivered within two to three months, depending on contractual requirements, Idris said.

According to the company, the Vex‑9 is 5.4 m long, 2.5 m wide, and 2.5 m high, and is powered by a 2.8‑litre turbocharged diesel engine. It is capable of transporting nine dismounts.

The vehicle has a weight of 4 tonnes and a 1‑tonne payload capacity. It is fitted with a glazed front and minimal armour protection around the body, and is based on a Toyota Hilux chassis.

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