Royal Malaysian Navy (RLDM) will acquire Turkish Ada Class Corvettes as Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2. The Ministry issued the Letter of Intent to STM. It has been known for a long time that a Turkish company won the tender for LMS Batch 2 for RLDM, but the winner was not officially announced. Nine companies attended the tender, four of which were Turkish.
Malaysian Defence Minister Khaled Nordin stated in a written response to a question in Parliament on March 13 that the tender was won by Turkish Defence Company STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik (STM). According to Defence Minister Nording, STM has been issued a Letter of Intent to acquire Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) Batch 2 for the Royal Malaysian Navy. According to the written response, the Ministry of Defence would acquire Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) using a Government-to-Government (G to G) strategy with STM through direct talks. “The Ministry of Finance (MOF) granted approval for this matter on January 18, 2024. Consequently, the Ministry of Defence issued a letter of intent (LOI) to the company on February 5, 2024, and the company responded on February 8, 2024, agreeing to negotiate with the Ministry of Defence as the Government’s representative,” according to the defence minister. It is claimed that the budget for the programme is $510 million.
He further noted that the Ministry of Defence is currently engaged in detailed negotiations regarding the specifications offered and will negotiate prices before finalizing the acquisition. Malaysia is slated to acquire three LMS Batch 2 ships in the first phase, with the potential of acquiring five additional ships in the second phase, which will cover two Five-Year Malaysia Plans.
The Ada-class corvettes are anti-submarine warfare and patrol vessels built for the Turkish Navy during the National Warship Construction Programme (MILGEM). The Ada class currently has three variants: Turkish, Pakistani, and Ukrainian. The primary weaponry are 76mm cannons, eight surface-to-surface missiles, and two torpedo launchers. They can hold two 10-ton class helicopters. Currently, the Turkish Navy employs four Ada-class corvettes. Four Ada-class corvettes were built for the Pakistan Navy (ASFAT), while two were for the Ukrainian Navy (STM).
The Ada-class corvettes are powered by a Combined Diesel and Gas (CODAG) system comprising one gas turbine and two diesel engines. They can reach a maximum speed of 30 knots and cruise at 15 knots within a radius of 3,500 nautical miles. The first two ships are scheduled to enter service in 2027, with the third in 2028.
