Adm Abdul Rahman (centre) at the closing of the Angsa exercise on Aug 16. On the left is Gen Mohd Asghar Khan. – BERNAMApic
KOTA KINABALU: Construction of the littoral combat ships (LCS) is expected to resume next month, says Royal Malaysian Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Ayob.
He said the construction will resume after the sixth supplemental agreement was signed at the 2023 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (Lima 2023) in May.
"Five LCS vessels will be handed over to the Navy in stages, with the first ship expected to be handed over at the end of 2026,” he told a press conference after the closing ceremony of the Angsa (Air and Sea) Exercise Series 14/23 at the Kota Kinabalu RMN Base in Sepanggar near here on Wednesday (Aug 16).
On the littoral mission ship (LMS) project, Adm Abdul Rahman said they were still identifying suitable builders to carry out the project based on the specifications stipulated by the Navy.
"The allocation has already been given out, we hope the contract can be signed this year, at the latest, and construction can begin next year as we expect it will take 36 months to complete,” he said.
On the Angsa exercise, Adm Abdul Rahman said the joint Navy-Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) exercise, which began on July 28, involved 2,562 personnel.
He said the goal of the exercise was, among others, to assess the interoperability of the Navy and Air Force, especially in the 3P aspects of people, process and platform.
"This exercise is significant in ensuring both Navy and Air Force can operate as one military unit that is more versatile and efficient in Malaysia’s maritime zones,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief of Air Force Gen Tan Sri Mohd Asghar Khan Goriman Khan said they had signed a contract to purchase a new ATR 72 maritime patrol aircraft which is expected to enter RMAF inventory from 2026, in addition to a contract for the first phase of the purchase of three Turkiye-manufactured unmanned aerial systems (UAS) units.
Earlier, Gen Mohd Asghar Khan said that apart from enhancing the level of preparedness and mutual service, Angsa was also a driver for improving tactics, techniques and procedures between the two services at the operational and tactical levels.
"I hope efforts to increase these mutual elements will continue to be further enhanced to form a more mature and reliable task force in the collective implementation of maritime domain operations,” he said. – Bernama
