Navy missile replacement could take up to 3 years

(From left) Retired armed forces chief Azizan Ariffin, armed forces chief Malek Razak Sulaiman, defence ministry secretary-general Lokman Hakim Ali, and navy chief Zulhelmy Ithnain during a press conference after the launch of Lima 2027 in Kuala Lumpur today.

KUALA LUMPUR: The procurement of a replacement naval strike missile (NSM) system is expected to take another two to three years, says armed forces chief Malek Razak Sulaiman.

Malek said the replacement was needed to minimise the impact on the navy’s operational readiness following the cancellation of the NSM system’s acquisition.

He added that four countries were shortlisted following operational and technical evaluations.

“A final decision has yet to be made because we have not opened the tender,” he said during a press conference after the launch of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2027 today.

“We have to look at everything again, and it also depends on the budget. It is a new process for us to procure the system, so at the earliest, it could take about two to three years.

“We do not want our readiness to decline. The ships will be ready, commissioned and operational, but we cannot have them without their weapon systems,” he said.

In May, the Norwegian government revoked the export licence for the NSM system and its associated launcher systems, saying exports of its defence technology would be limited to its “allies and closest partners”, including Nato countries.

Defence minister Khaled Nordin told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the government would hold its first round of talks with the NSM’s supplier, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, in mid-August to reach a settlement over the cancellation of the NSM contract.

The NSM procurement contract was signed between the navy and the company in April 2018, valued at 124 million euros (RM571.9 million), to equip six littoral combat ships.

Malaysia is seeking more than RM1 billion in damages from Kongsberg, which includes indirect costs such as the removal of missile mounting systems already installed on the navy’s vessels, as well as the integration of replacement systems supplied by other vendors.

A team has been established to identify a replacement missile system, with Turkey, South Korea and two European countries shortlisted as potential suppliers.

On a separate matter, Malek said the investigation into the fatal incident during a military exercise at Hobart Camp in Gurun, Kedah, is in its final stage.

He also said the military is reviewing its standard operating procedures, training protocols, facilities and monitoring mechanisms to identify areas for improvement.

On June 16, Norazmi Abu Bakar, a corporal, and Siti Khadijah Sungip, a private, were killed during a grenade-throwing exercise. Two weeks later, two soldiers were injured after a firearm exploded during a training exercise.