Ankara-based STM has signed a memorandum of understanding to build three Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Under the agreement, the company will design, assemble, and test the vessels. It will also lead the procurement, logistics support, and preparation for associated documentation and equipment throughout the program.
Each will be based on the Turkish Navy’s Ada-class patrol and anti-submarine warfare corvettes also developed in partnership with STM.
The firm wrote that primary works to complete the ships will take place in Turkey and involve “substantial collaborations” with the local defense sector.
Construction of the LMS will last three and a half years starting in 2024.
Strengthening Turkish-Malaysian Ties
According to STM, the LMS program serves as a stepping stone to begin a long-standing naval cooperation between Turkey and Malaysia.
Once completed, Kuala Lumpur’s new fleet will sail for “a wide range of missions” across international waters in which its base model corvettes have proven reliable and effective.
Such applications will involve anti-surface, anti-aircraft, asymmetric, and electronic warfare missions.
“I believe that the signing of this [memorandum of understanding] will bring benefit to both countries, especially to Malaysia, because the Republic of Turkiye is a sophisticated military powerhouse today, with excellent defence technology, and is one of the most advanced military manufacturing nations in West Asia,” Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said during the signing event.
Malaysian Littoral Mission Ships
Each of Malaysia’s upcoming LMS will have a length of 99.56 meters (326 feet) and a span of 14.42 meters (47.3 feet).
They will have a maximum speed of 26 knots (48 kilometers/30 miles per hour) and a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles (4,603 miles/7,408 kilometers).
The ships will have accommodations for a medium size helicopter, refueling capabilities, and over 100 personnel.
They will be fitted with advanced command and control systems and sensors in addition to main and secondary guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, and decoy launcher systems.
