KUALA LUMPUR: The Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) has begun construction at Istanbul Shipyard, Turkiye.
Navy Chief Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain officiated the steel cutting ceremony recently, marking the symbolic start of the ship's construction.
"The ship is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 before it is handed over to the navy.
The design of the ship is based on Class ADA corvette vessels chosen by the navy through a Government to Government MOU, where Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik (STM) was appointed as the main contractor," the navy said in a statement on Thursday (Dec 5).
The ADA Class corvette vessels have been used by the Turkiye Naval Forces and Pakistan Navy.
The same class of ships are also under construction and in the testing phase for procurement by the Pakistan and Ukraine navy fleets.
Among others who witnessed the event were delegations from the Defence Ministry and the navy, the LMSB2 project team, as well as STM general manager Özgür Güleryüz.
"The LMSB2 has various dimensions of military capabilities encompassing anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare.
"It will certainly increase the navy's combat capabilities. The ship is also equipped with a high-tech weapons system to carry out missions within the country's maritime domain," the navy said.
