KOTA TINGGI: The cost of a replacement surface-to-surface missile system for the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS1) is not tied to the Defence Ministry’s allocation under Budget 2027, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said negotiations with several shortlisted countries are ongoing to replace Norway’s Naval Strike Missile system, whose export licence was revoked by the Norwegian government earlier this year.
“We are still negotiating and have narrowed down the countries that could supply a replacement for Norway’s Naval Strike Missile.
“We will ensure that LCS1 will not have to wait too long before it is fully equipped,” he told reporters after launching a Jana Komuniti programme and witnessing the first harvest under the Jana Veteran programme here yesterday.
Mohamed Khaled said LCS1 is currently equipped with surface-to-air and anti-submarine missile systems, as well as electronic warfare systems capable of jamming enemy missiles.
He said the only weapon system yet to be installed is the surface-to-surface missile system.
“For now, in the absence of that system, we can rely on the Air Force to carry out such engagements,” he said.
Last Saturday, Mohamed Khaled said Malaysia was considering spending between RM700mil and more than RM1bil on a replacement surface-to-surface missile system.
Asked about Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim’s call for the government to expedite investigations into the LCS project rather than rely on a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), Mohamed Khaled said the matter should be left to the relevant enforcement authorities.
He also said that the RCI is not a determining factor in ensuring the project’s timely completion, adding that the shipbuilder had been instructed to expedite work and prevent further delays.
“The completion of LCS1 is a separate matter and does not depend on the RCI.
“Otherwise, the ship would still not be completed.
“That is why we have asked the shipbuilder to speed up the work and ensure there are no further delays,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mohamed Khaled told the Dewan Rakyat that shipbuilder Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (Lunas) could not fulfil its earlier commitment to deliver LCS1 in December this year.
Instead, Lunas had set a new delivery date of April 2027, he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said the ministry planned to use its idle land nationwide for agricultural projects under the Jana Veteran programme.
He said the programme would enable veterans interested in agriculture to cultivate crops that are suited to the land.
He cited the pilot project at Telok Sengat, where ginger was grown because of the area’s hilly terrain, as an example.
