On track: Mohamed Khaled (centre) inspecting the construction of the first LCS at the RMN base in Lumut. — Bernama
LUMUT: The Maharaja Lela-class littoral combat ship (LCS) 1 is expected to be handed over to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in August 2026, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the construction of the country’s first LCS has met the planned milestone.
He said the ship was successfully floated out on May 23 after receiving approval from the design team, quality control authorities and the end user, which is the RMN, to test its stability and strength.
“Now, it’s about installing equipment and tools on the ship. Some have already been installed.
“After that, in December, harbour trials will be conducted and after all the equipment has been installed, sea trials will be conducted.
“According to the plan, the first ship will be handed over to the RMN in August 2026,” he told a press conference after inspecting the construction progress of the ship at Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Mohamed Khaled added that the construction of the remaining four LCS was also progressing well.
Earlier, in a separate event, he handed over contributions to the families of the victims of the helicopter tragedy on April 23.
A total of 10 personnel were killed when two naval helicopters crashed in Lumut while conducting a third rehearsal for a flypast in conjunction with the 90th Naval Day.
The Fennec helicopter crashed into the swimming pool in the sports complex, while the AW139 crashed at the TLDM stadium in Lumut.
Last week, the RMN Board of Inquiry found that the tragic crash was mainly caused by the Fennec copter deviating from its designated altitude and course and entering the flight path of the AW139 copter.
RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Ayob said the board also concluded that the secondary factor of the crash was due to the channelised attention of the AW139 helicopter crew, who were focused on changing course, thereby limiting their reaction to avoid the collision.
At another event, Mohamed Khaled presented a mock cheque for RM38.04mil to commander First Admiral Jamaludin Sairi for this year’s maintenance of the Armed Forces Family Housing and the Lumut Naval Base Accommodation Block.
