KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani Government has continued its efforts to enhance the nation's defence capabilities, particularly in safeguarding its maritime borders, including in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters of the South China Sea, which are being challenged by "foreign powers."
The procurement of three Littoral Mission Ship Batch II (LMSBII) vessels from Turkiye and the continuation of the delayed construction of five Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) worth RM11 billion, are concrete measures to ensure the sovereignty of the nation's maritime borders remains intact.
The steel cutting ceremony marking the commencement of construction of the LMSBII vessels, equipped with anti-ship missiles and air defence systems, took place in Turkiye a couple of weeks back, with the first vessel to be received by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in 2027.
In June, the Ministry of Defence signed a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with Turkiye's Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB) for the procurement of LMSBII vessels for the RMN.
The LOA for the acquisition of three LMSBII vessels, designed based on the ADA-class corvettes used by the Turkish Navy, was signed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Khaled Nordin during his working visit to Turkiye.
The three LMSBII vessels will be built by Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik (STM).
Besides acquiring the LMSBII vessels, the government's commitment to continuing the construction of the five LCS vessels, which had been delayed for several years, underscores the determination of the MADANI administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to bolster the capabilities of the RMN and the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).
According to the latest statement by Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari in Parliament recently, the progress of the country's first LCS, "Maharaja Lela," stood at 70.10 per cent as of Oct 25.
"Based on the milestones outlined in the signed contract, the final construction phase of the first LCS will be completed by the end of this year before undergoing Harbour Acceptance Test (HAT) and Sea Acceptance Trial (SAT) by the RMN over a two-year period.
"As for the second LCS, it will be launched in 2025 before undergoing HAT and SAT," he said of the LCS currently being constructed at Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS).
A few months ago, Mohamad Khaled said that under the plan, the first LCS would be handed over to the RMN in August 2026, followed by the remaining four vessels.
The presence of the five Maharaja Lela-class LCS vessels in the RMN fleet, each with a total displacement exceeding 3,000 tonnes and equipped with various weapon systems including anti-ship missiles, air defence systems, and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), will further strengthen the nation's maritime defence, particularly in the South China Sea.
All five RMN LCS vessels are expected to be equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) developed by Norwegian defence firm Kongsberg, capable of hitting sea targets over 180 km away.
To further bolster national defence, the Ministry of Defence is also exploring the possibility of acquiring more than 30 used F/A-18C/D Hornet fighter jets from the Kuwait Air Force (KAF) to complement the eight F/A-18C/Ds currently owned by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
In October, Mohamad Khaled visited Kuwait to personally inspect the condition of the Hornet fighter jets owned by the Middle Eastern nation.
According to the Defence Minister, the Kuwaiti government has responded positively to Malaysia's interest in acquiring the KAF's F/A-18C/D Hornets, and both nations have agreed to establish a committee to begin negotiations on the procurement.
However, the final decision on Malaysia's acquisition of the single- and dual-seat F/A-18C/D Hornets from Kuwait depends on approval from the United States, the original manufacturer of the fighter jets.
If Malaysia's request to acquire the fighter jets receives the "green light" from Washington, it will not only strengthen the nation's air surveillance but also maritime defence, as the jets, developed by Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas), are particularly adept at conducting maritime strike operations.
Capable of being armed with anti-ship Harpoon missiles, the presence of F/A-18C/D Hornets will serve as a significant deterrent to enemy maritime assets when patrolling the country's airspace, particularly in the South China Sea.
In addition to strengthening defence through asset acquisitions, Malaysia has also boosted defence diplomacy by hosting port calls from several foreign naval vessels.
Among them were the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) training vessels Qi Jiguang and JinggangShan, as well as warships from the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet, which made a port call at Penang Port.
For the first time in 22 years, the nation also hosted the German Navy frigate FGS Baden-Wurttemberg and combat support vessel FGS Frankfurt am Main, which docked at the Port Klang Cruise Terminal (PKCT) in October as part of the Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024 (IPD24).
Last month, the United States Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) also made a port call in the country after a 12-year hiatus to strengthen defence ties between the two nations.