KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) will continue to strengthen its role as the country’s main line of maritime defence through the implementation of various strategic initiatives to protect the country’s sovereignty and safety of its waters, says Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy Ithnain.
In line with its commitment to protecting Malaysia’s maritime territory, the TLDM chief said the procurement of new assets, including the Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2), Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC), proved that TLDM is on the right track in improving combat readiness and capabilities.
“The keel laying of the LMSB2 was completed on April 8 at Istanbul Shipyard, Turkiye, marking an important phase of ship construction that is estimated to be completed by mid-2026 before being handed over to TLDM at the end of 2027,” he told Bernama in conjunction with the 91st Navy Day with the theme TLDM Perkasa, Kedaulatan Terpelihara (Mighty TLDM, Sovereignty Preserved) yesterday.
Admiral Zulhelmy said the LCS1 is expected to be handed over to the navy in August 2026, while the start of construction for LCS2 and LCS3 would be in June 2025 and January 2026 respectively.
“From the 19 FIC units that were approved in 2020 to support Ops Benteng, 14 have been received and the rest are expected to arrive at the end of this year,” he said.
He added that TLDM planned to procure two Multi Role Support Ships, three LMS Batch 3 and four Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters, all of which will be operational before 2035 under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
“These assets will not only strengthen the element of ‘prevent resist’ but also contribute to the navy’s combat capabilities and would be developed through partnerships between local and international shipyards to empower the national defence industry sustainably and reduce dependency on foreign original equipment manufacturers,” he said.
To ensure continuity of operations, he said TLDM is focusing on vital infrastructure development such as the construction of the Naval Region 4 Headquarters in Sarawak to protect national strategic interests in Borneo waters.
Besides defence aspects, the welfare of naval personnel is being addressed through the new Armed Forces Family Home construction project, Admiral Zulhelmy added.
“The projects underway are at the National Hydrography Centre, the Kota Kinabalu Naval Base and the Naval Region 2 Headquarters in Sandakan,” he said.
On this year’s 91st Navy Day celebrations, Admiral Zulhelmy said it will be a moderate affair filled with interesting events, including a parade, blood donation drive, welfare visits and Armada Open Days at several naval bases including in Kota Kinabalu, the Tanjung Gelang base in Kuantan and Sandakan.
Even though the loss of 10 naval personnel in a helicopter crash during Navy Day rehearsals last year left a deep impact, he said the force is forging ahead with a more people-oriented approach.
“Even though last year’s incident remains fresh in mind, the celebrations will continue as a symbol of our personnel’s resilience.
“We hope Malaysians will continue to support our efforts to defend the sovereignty of our country’s waters,” he said.
He also expressed his confidence in the implementation of the 15to5 Transformation Plan and the maritime defence policy that outlined TLDM as a modern navy, dedicated and respected in the region.
