KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — All three Royal Malaysian Navy Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 are expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2027.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the construction of the vessels in Turkiye is progressing smoothly and remains on schedule as set when the contract was signed in 2024.
"We expect these ships to be delivered to our navy by late 2027. According to the estimated timeline, the first vessel will be commissioned in October, followed by the second in November, and the third in December.
"Everything is progressing well," he said during a media conference after the 2026 Defence Ministry (MINDEF) and Malaysian Armed Forces Education Excellence Award presentation ceremony at Wisma Perwira ATM today.
Khaled added that the second vessel in the Batch 2 series was successfully launched at the Istanbul Shipyard in Turkiye on Sunday (June 7).
"The vessel has been named Raja Laut, after the late 19th-century Selangor nobleman and visionary administrator. The naming and launching ceremony was graced by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj and Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin," he said.
The launch comes after that of the first vessel Tunku Laksamana Abdul Jalil on May 24.
Khaled said the LMSB2 programme is a government-to-government cooperation project between Malaysia and Turkiye, aimed at bolstering the nation's maritime sovereignty.
Meanwhile, commenting on the RM1 billion claim against a Norwegian defence firm, he said that MINDEF has received a request from the company to discuss the matter.
As such, it will proceed with the claim in accordance with established procedures.
"We have indeed received a request (letter) from the company to discuss the matter. As of now, we have not met, and we do not know what they intend to discuss.
"Regardless, our claim remains active and is proceeding," Khaled said.
Norway had previously revoked the export licence for Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and related launcher systems to Malaysia, citing national security concerns.
According to the official website of Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS, the procurement contract for the NSM was inked between the RMN and the company in April 2018. The contract, valued at €124 million (RM571.9 million), was intended to equip the navy's six new Littoral Combat Ships.
