Navy successfully tests guided missiles

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Navy has successfully tested guided missiles via their assets off the waters of the South China sea recently.

In an exercise codenamed Exercise KerisMas, the Navy fired Exocet MM40 Block II guided missiles from KD Kasturi ship and the Sea Skua guided missile from the Super Lynx helicopter.

Navy chief Laksamana Datuk Mohd Reza Mohd Sani said the exercise was held between July 1 and July 18.

"The last time such a firing was conducted was in 2014. After five years, it gives us a chance to test the readiness of the guided missiles, missile platform, as well as the personnel assigned.

"The guided missiles were fired, and they were on target.

"While this is not unusual, it is very important to the Navy as it proves our assault capabilities to the public and other countries in the region," he told a special press conference on Tuesday (July 23).

The successful firing of the missiles justified taxpayers' investment in military assets, he added.

"It shows that we are always at the highest form of readiness in ensuring that our assets and weapons systems are functioning at an optimum level," he said.

The Exocet MM40 missile have been in the Navy's inventory since 2000, he added.

"Its maximum range is 38 nautical miles, but it was fired over some 25 nautical miles during the exercise.

"Meanwhile the Sea Skua guided missile can reach eight nautical miles, and we attained this distance during the exercise. It has been in our inventory since 2001," he said.

The Exercise KerisMas involved 12 ships, a submarine and four helicopters belonging to the Navy, four Royal Malaysia Airforce aircrafts and assets from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

"About 3,000 personnel were involved in the exercise," he said.