KUALA LUMPUR: The scheduled delivery of the Royal Malaysian Navy's first littoral combat ships (LCS) will proceed as planned regardless of delays in the vessel's missile system, says the Defence Ministry (Mindef).
It said the vessels would still be delivered with various capabilities installed despite the ongoing search for a replacement for the planned Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system.
This comes after the Norwegian government announced the revocation of the export licence for NSM anti-ship missiles and associated launchers to Malaysia on national security grounds in May.
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"The decision does not affect the delivery schedule of the LCS vessels, as guaranteed by Lumut naval shipyard (LNS) to the ministry," Mindef said in a parliamentary written reply dated Tuesday (July 7).
"The vessels will still possess multiple capabilities such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, and electronic warfare.
"They will also be equipped with a Combat Management System (CMS) that integrates all these capabilities with radar and ship detection systems," it added.
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The ministry also said it was taking all necessary steps to ensure that the surface-to-surface missile capability of the LCS vessels is maintained through the best possible solution.
It added that the overall completion rate for the LCS project is currently 78.1%, a 7.11% setback over the originally planned completion rate of 85.21%, as of May 31 this year.
It also said the current project expenditure stood at RM8.457bil, which is 76.2% of the overall project value.
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) had asked for the latest status of the LCS project, the total amount of public funds spent so far, and if the ships could still be delivered by December as previously promised.
