ANKARA: The Defence Ministry (Mindef) has handed over the Letter of Agreement (LOA) for the purchase of the second batch of three Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) to Turkiye defence company, Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM), yesterday.
The handover ceremony was carried out between ministry deputy secretary-general (development) Dr Mohd Bakhari Ismail and STM general manager Ozgur Guleryuz witnessed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Turkish Defence Industry Secretary Prof Haluk Gorgun at the STM headquarters here.
Mohamed Khaled said the project will take about three-and-a-half years to complete, and Malaysia will receive all three ships by the end of 2027.
"We are confident that this project will be completed within the set time frame because the company is owned by the Turkiye government, chaired by their President, so there is a guarantee from the government," he said at a press conference after the handover ceremony here.
Mohamed Khaled is on a five-day official visit to Turkiye since Sunday.
He said the 2019 Malaysian Defence White Paper outlined that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) needed to have 18 LMS to patrol the country's waters, which consists of the South China Sea, the Sulawesi Sea, the Straits of Malacca, and the Sulu Sea.
"With the acquisition of this second batch of three LMS, it is hoped that this will help us reach the target of 18 ships needed for the RMN. Handing over the LOA to Turkiye depends on their ability to complete them within the set time frame. If they cannot be completed, it will affect all our plans," he said.
The construction and fitting of the ships will be carried out in Turkiye, involving 50 companies from the Turkish defence sector, including Aselsan, Havelsan, and Roketsan. The vessels will undergo a comprehensive systems integration programme, which will cover surveillance and detection sensor suites, and an advanced weapons system, all tied to a state-of-the-art Combat Information Centre. This will enable the RMN to carry out various missions effectively.
The second batch of LMS is an Ada-class corvette, which is a type of patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel equipped with advanced anti-aircraft missiles. It has a displacement of approximately 2,500 tonnes, a length of 99.56m, a keel of 14.42m and a draft of 3.94m. It is powered by a 31,640 kW (42,430hp) Renk Codag engine.
With a maximum speed of over 26 knots and a cruising range of 4,000 kilometres at 14 knots, it can accommodate 111 crew and has a maximum endurance of 14 days. It is also equipped with a helipad and a hangar to store and operate ASW helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Earlier, Mohamed Khaled signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two governments on Government-to-Government (G2G) procurement for Turkish-Malaysian defence products.
"This kind of MoU has never been done by Malaysia with any country, but was done with Turkey because it reflects the close relationship between the two countries, a relationship based on trust, respect, and the desire to help each other.
"I believe the signing of this MoU will be beneficial to both countries, especially Malaysia, because Turkey is a sophisticated military power today, and is one of the most advanced military-industrial and manufacturing countries in West Asia," he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said to prove their commitment in implementing the MoU, the two countries agreed to establish a special committee that will be formed within the next six months to plan strategic initiatives and monitor the progress of the MoU implementation. -- BERNAMA