Wow, hard to say - do you mean the most impact militarily,
politically or tactically?
My candidates (not ranked in anyway or by monetary costs)
are:
1. AMX-13 tanks. These were the first in the region in the late
1960's. It got the Malaysians to really take notice and be more
respectful of us.
2. Our just retired MGBs - probably the most heavily-armed small
vessel around the region. When commissioned in the mid-1970's, they
were armed with Gabriel missiles that were highly successful in the
1973 Yom Kippur War against Egyptian and Syrian Russian-equipped
vessels.
3. E-2C Hawkeye. Raised more than an eyebrow in the region as it
dramatically increased our "eyesight" hundreds of km away from our
"little red dot".
4. Our several hundred M-113 APCs in the 1980's. These were the
basis of our fast-moving, powerful armoured brigades and are the
pioneers of today's combined arms divisions.
5. Our formerly Sjoormen-class submarines. The initial purchase
made our neighbours sit up and take notice (probably caused the
M'sians to buy the Scorpene to avoid being shamed). A good
relationship Sweden got us 2 of their AIP-equipped subs later
on.
