KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia remains committed to pursuing its claim of more than RM1bil against a Norwegian defence company over the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) dispute, despite the company seeking talks with the government, says Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
“We have received a request from the company to hold discussions, but regardless of any discussions, our claim is still proceeding.
“We have not met them yet, and we do not know what they want to discuss, but we have received a letter from the company,” he told reporters after attending the Majlis Anugerah Kecemerlangan Pendidikan (AKP) 2026 at Wisma Perwira ATM here yesterday.
Previously, Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia had officially issued a notice of claim exceeding RM1bil against the Norwegian company following its failure to deliver the NSM system.
Norway’s decision to revoke the export licence was also criticised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who described the move as unacceptable, saying Malaysia had fulfilled all obligations under the contract since 2018.
On a separate matter, Mohamed Khaled said the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (TLDM) Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2 programme remains on schedule, with all three vessels expected to be delivered by the end of 2027.
He said the programme had progressed according to plan since the procurement agreement was signed in 2024.
“Last Sunday, our second LMS vessel was launched and named, and we expect it to be delivered to the navy by the end of next year, in 2027, together with the other vessels,” he said.
The three vessels are expected to be commissioned in stages, with the first entering service in October 2027, followed by the second in November and the third in December next year.
Earlier, Mohamed Khaled announced that the second LMS Batch 2 vessel had been named Raja Laut following the consent of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said 446 children of Armed Forces personnel scored five As and above in the 2025 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, up from 383 students the previous year.
He said the improvement reflected the positive impact of educational initiatives introduced for the defence community.
At the event, 181 students received the SPM Educational Excellence Award, while 32 recipients received Public University Assistance and five others received Overseas University Assistance.
Mohamed Khaled said the Defence Ministry allocated RM464,400 this year to benefit 605 recipients through various educational assistance schemes and academic excellence incentives.
He added that the ministry had also launched a STEM Education Programme with Universiti Sains Malaysia at selected schools in military camps to encourage greater interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics among students.
