KUALA LUMPUR — Technical evaluations to select a replacement anti-ship missile system for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet will be wrapped up by the end of this month.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed today that both the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the navy are currently reviewing several surface-to-surface missile options from global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The urgent search for a replacement follows the sudden revocation of the export licence for the previously chosen Norwegian-made Naval Strike Missile (NSM).
Mohamed Khaled assured parliament that every foreign proposal is undergoing a rigid auditing process to ensure the new weapon architecture aligns perfectly with national defence priorities.
“It encompasses several aspects, namely the system’s ability to be integrated with the LCS Combat Management System, the delivery timeline, overall procurement cost and, lastly, the level of technology and operational capacity that is equivalent to or better than the NSM,” the minister explained during a briefing session at the Dewan Rakyat.
The ministry expects the preliminary technical phase to transition smoothly into the next tier of procurement approvals within weeks.
“Insya-Allah, if everything goes smoothly, the technical evaluation at RMN and MINDEF level will be completed by the end of this month, before it is taken to the next level of assessments,” Mohamed Khaled added.
-NMT
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