Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled was quoted as saying that the littoral mission ship project will take about three and a half years to complete with Malaysia slated to take delivery of all three ships by the end of 2027.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 12): Türkiye's shipbuilding company Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM) said it has been commissioned to build three corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

The corvettes will be constructed in Türkiye as part of the second batch of Malaysia's Littoral Mission Ship (LMSB2) project. STM has tailored the design of these vessels to meet RMN's specific requirements, the company said in a statement.

STM said it will handle the ship design, project management, procurement of materials and systems, integration design and assembly, testing, and integrated logistic support (ILS) activities. Additionally, it will prepare the necessary design and ILS documentation for the project.

STM will also collaborate with various Turkish defence sector entities for essential equipment including the combat management system, the gun fire control system, fire control radar and 3D search radar, the statement read.

The signing ceremony for the LMSB2 project, held in Ankara, Türkiye on June 10, was attended by Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Prof Dr Haluk Görgün from Turkiye’s Secretary of Defence Industries, STM chairman Prof Dr Ihsan Kaya, and STM general manager Özgür Güleryüz.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled was quoted as saying that the project will take about three and a half years to complete with Malaysia slated to take delivery of all three ships by the end of 2027.

“With the acquisition of this second batch of three LMS, it is hoped that it will help us reach the 18 ships needed for RMN. So, the approach of handing over the LOA (letter of award) to Turkiye depends on their ability to complete it within the set time; if it cannot be completed, it will affect all plans,” Bernama quoted him as saying.