Defence minister: Malaysia to receive first LCS on time despite missing anti-ship missiles

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — Malaysia will take delivery of its first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as scheduled in December despite the vessel being delivered without its planned anti-ship missile system following the cancellation of its Naval Strike Missile (NSM) procurement, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.

Speaking during a ministerial briefing in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Khaled said the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) long-delayed lead vessel would still be handed over on schedule, even without the surface-to-surface missile system originally intended for the class, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.

“In terms of the ship’s delivery, even though we do not have a surface-to-surface missile system, the delivery schedule remains as previously announced.

“The first LCS is still expected to be delivered in December 2026 even though it will not have a surface-to-surface missile system.

“But I would like to emphasise, as I mentioned earlier in my speech, that the LCS is equipped with many other weapons systems. The only capability it currently lacks is the surface-to-surface missile,” he said.

Khaled said the vessel would still be equipped with a 57mm naval gun, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare systems, as well as electronic warfare capabilities despite the absence of its surface-to-surface missile system.

“For surface warfare, we currently have limited capabilities through the 57mm gun.

“The weapons systems we do have are designed for anti-submarine warfare, including anti-submarine missiles.

“We also have anti-air warfare capabilities, as well as electronic warfare systems to disrupt an adversary’s systems in the event of an attack,” he said.

He added that the gap in the Navy’s anti-surface warfare capability could be temporarily covered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), whose F/A-18D Hornet fighter aircraft can deploy Harpoon or Maverick air-to-surface missiles until a replacement missile system is procured.

“While we do not have a surface-to-surface missile system, the RMAF can provide support. We have F/A-18D aircraft capable of launching air-to-surface missiles to bridge the LCS’s anti-surface warfare capability gap using Harpoon or Maverick missiles,” he said.

Khaled also said the Navy’s Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2 programme, with deliveries expected towards the end of 2027, would provide the RMN with a renewed surface-to-surface missile capability.

“When the second LMS Batch 2 vessel arrives around October, November or December 2027, we will have a 200km-range surface-to-surface missile capability.

“So we hope that while negotiations continue to find an alternative to the NSM, by the time we complete LCS 2, 3 and 4, we will already have a new missile system to replace the NSM,” he said.

Malaysia is currently seeking a replacement for the cancelled NSM system while negotiations continue over the procurement, with the government aiming to equip subsequent LCS vessels with a new anti-ship missile before they enter service.