ISTANBUL: While the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) first Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) launching at a shipyard here by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia on May 24 was in his agenda, Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin was in Turkiye to also initiate talks with several defence companies.
He was officially there to attend the Naming and Launching Ceremony of the LMSB2, which was constructed by a Republic of Turkiye defence and engineering technology company, STM.
Mohamed Khaled’s working visit from May 21-24 included meeting several Turkiye defence companies to strengthen the defence industry cooperation between the two countries, including the involvement of local companies.
He was joined by Malaysian Consul General in Istanbul Ahmad Amiri Abu Bakar and the Malaysia Defence Chief to Turkiye, Colonel Sazili Ghazali.
On May 21, he met with defence company Makine ve Kimya Industrisi A. pert. (MKE) deputy general manager Tolga Celik to discuss Malaysia’s potential as a regional defence support hub, in addition to long-term strategic cooperation, technology transfer and defence industry partnership between the two countries.
MKE had recently signed an agreement during the Defence Services Asia (DSA) and NATSEC Asia 2026 in Kuala Lumpur to develop facilities in Melaka that strengthen the local defence industry through the production of components, installation and transfer of technology.
He also met delegates from Turkish shipbuilding company Desan Shipyard, led by the board of directors’s chairman Ismail Kaptanoglu.
Desan Shipyard specialises in ship construction, repair, modification and upgrading according to global standards.
The meeting also discussed potential cooperation to enhance the involvement of Malaysian local companies, particularly in shipbuilding, technical support, maintenance, vendor development and supply chains.
Desan Shipyard is involved in the strategic cooperation in Malaysia for the development of Enrique of Malacca Shipyard in Melaka, in addition to currently building the second Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), following a contract signed by the Home Ministry.
The following day, Mohamed Khaled held a discussion with Otokar, Turkiye’s leading defence companies producing armoured vehicles and military mobility platforms.
The company has previously collaborated with Boustead Holdings Berhad in one of the National Defence Projects under the National Defence Industry Policy (DIPN), namely the development of wheel chassis platform assembly and manufacturing capabilities.
The meeting also touched on the cooperation between Otokar and Boustead Holdings Berhad, which was strengthened during DSA 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, as part of Otokar’s efforts to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.The Defence Minister also visited Turkish defence company Havelsan to understand its products, technologies and innovations, particularly in Combat Management Systems (CMS), simulation systems, AI and decision support systems for modern military operations. Havelsan currently supplies CMS for the second batch of LMS vessels.
The strategic defence cooperation was also brought up to be established with Boustead Holdings Berhad. This partnership will further advance the implementation of the National Defence Industry Policy and reflects the deep Malaysia–Turkiye defence relationship.
This cooperation also aligned with the ministry’s efforts to strengthen local solutions, reduce dependence on foreign products and open opportunities for Malaysian companies to participate in the global supply chain.
In his Facebook post on May 21, he hoped the meetings will “create a stronger cooperation between Malaysia and Turkiye, while supporting the development of a more competitive, independent national defence industry that is self-reliant.”
Then in his LMSB2 launch speech, he said: “Malaysia is therefore deeply grateful to Turkiye, not only for its technical excellence, but for proving itself to be a trusted partner that has honoured its commitments and agreements.”
LMSB2 is part of the procurement of three new Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM) ships to strengthen the capability of the country’s maritime operations.
The project began two years ago and will be completed by the end of 2027.
The “Tunku”-class vessel, based on STM’s ADA-class corvette design, represents the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) latest combat asset designed for multi-dimensional operations.
In addition to strengthening the RMN fleet, the construction of the LMSB2 also demonstrates the effectiveness of the strategic cooperation between Malaysia and Türkiye, particularly in the area of technology transfer between the two nations.
