THE Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) has announced plans to procure larger and more capable littoral mission ships (LMS) as part of efforts to counter China’s increasing encroachment into Malaysian maritime zones, according to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
In a recent parliamentary reply, Khaled noted the critical nature of this procurement, categorising it as the navy’s top priority. He attributed the decision to several factors including escalating threats to Malaysia’s strategic maritime interests in Sabah and Sarawak.
The presence of foreign warships in Malaysian waters has surged over the past eight years particularly following an exploration incident in Sarawak waters.
“Chinese Coast Guard vessels continuously intrude into Malaysian maritime zone waters, while the number of TLDM ships deployed is disproportionate to the number of intrusions. This undermines TLDM’s capability to defend the country’s sovereignty during maritime operations,” the minister pointed out.
One of the key factors driving the decision is the need to bridge capability gaps within the existing naval fleet, especially in the eastern fleet stationed in Sabah and Sarawak. While the western fleet boasts various combat ships and logistics support vessels, the eastern fleet lacks surface warfare capabilities, limiting its effectiveness in maritime operations.
“Ships in the eastern fleet are limited to patrol duties without three-dimensional warfare capabilities, namely anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine,” added Khaled as he underlined the need for combat-capable LMS batch 2 to strengthen the navy’s deterrence posture in East Malaysian waters.
The procurement process is expected to be government-to-government, following a tender that attracted bids from nine prospective companies for the design of the vessels, according to former defence minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Moreover, the Rembau MP told Dewan Rakyat that the government had opened a tender in which nine prospective companies had placed their bid for the design of the navy vessels.
Previous reports by news portal New Straits Times indicated that Malaysia had acquired four LMS ships from China, known as the Keris-class. However, these vessels were criticised for their perceived lack of combat capabilities, being lightly armed and equipped. – March 8, 2024
