KOTA KINABALU: Nine Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessels were involved in a three-day large-scale operational training exercise in Sabah waters beginning on Nov 14.
In a statement on Tuesday (Nov 19), the RMN said the ships involved were KD Kelantan, KD Kedah, KD Selangor, KD Keris, KD Sundang, KD Badik, KD Serang and KD Todak, as well as submarine KD Tun Razak.
The assets sailed across the South China Sea towards the offshore station of Gugusan Semarang Peninjau.
RMN said the key training activities conducted included tactical manoeuvres, naval gunfire support, static surface target shooting, air defence exercises, anti-submarine warfare exercises, and over-the-horizon targeting.
Naval personnel also went through boarding and landing drills, maritime knowledge enhancements, and helicopter landings on ships.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) also deployed assets to strengthen joint operational readiness in the event of maritime conflicts.
The three-day exercise was part of the Ostex East 2/2024 annual exercise held from Nov 11 to Monday (Nov 18) by the RMN’s Eastern Fleet Command, which serves as a primary platform to test personnel and asset readiness.
Eastern Fleet commander Vice Admiral Datuk Muhammad Ruzelme Ahmad Fahimy launched Ostex East 2/2024 at the Sepanggar naval base here on Nov 13.
“This (exercise) prepares the fleet to handle various threats to the sovereignty of our maritime waters and equips personnel for the Kerismas exercise, which is the largest RMN exercise, scheduled for next February,” he said in his speech.
Activities for the port phase, held after the opening ceremony, included an overview of the exercise, operational discussions, and a subject matter expert exchange with RMAF.
