The Royal Malaysian Navy Kasturi-class KD LEKIR corvette fired its first out-of-territory missile during the Sinking Exercise on July 12. Its target was the decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class USS Rodney M. Davis.
The KD LEKIR fired at the defunct warship with an MBDA Exocet MM40 Block 2 missile. The weapon was also used in a separate firing exercise in the Strait of Malacca earlier this year at a target 20 nautical miles (36 kilometers) from the corvette, according to Malaysia-based news outlet The Straits Times.
BOOM 💥
Watch ⬇️ Live fire from Australian, Canadian, Malaysian & U.S. ships and aircraft sank the decommissioned ex-USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60). 💪🇦🇺🇨🇦🇲🇾🇺🇸
➡️ https://t.co/T1BYrtYRg7#RIMPAC2022 @Australian_Navy @CanadianForces @ForcesCanada @tldm_rasmi @USNavy pic.twitter.com/LsHjQitdw1
— RIMPAC (@RimofthePacific) July 16, 2022
RIMPAC 2022
The live firing is part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise, which involves 26 nations, 28 surface ships, four submarines, over 170 aircraft, and 30 unmanned systems. About 25,000 were present at this year’s event.
“Live-fire events provide realistic training that refine partner nations’ abilities to plan, communicate and conduct complex maritime operations such as precision and long-range strike capabilities,” the US Navy wrote on its website.
RIMPAC commenced on June 29 and will conclude on August 4. It is hosted by the US Navy Indo-Pacific Command and is being held off the Southern California coast and around the Hawaiian Islands.
The world’s largest international marine exercise, RIMPAC training is conducted to enhance cooperation and joint defensive response among Pacific nations. The 2022 event is the 28th held since 1971.
