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• Ah its indeed the same design as tni al's diponegoro class corvette..my bad..but quite a huge gap/difference between batch 1's 60+m and this batch 2 90+m ( if selected )..or maybe RMN will ditch or transfer batch 1 altogether in future..

• Is Destini still going to offer the Damen OPV for LMS bid, or the company is now not in a good shape anymore to execute any new projects?

  Anyway does the previous Rfp indicate anything about the cost range of the LMS batch 2?
  https://www.malaysiandefence.com/moving-on-rmn/

  Also, is the RMN going to use the LMS batch 2 tender to cover the capability badly needed to offset the LCS Gowind unavailability? The LCS Gowind project grew from just a fully armed Kedah OPV Batch 2 into a proper ASW capable Frigate program.

  Back to the SIGMA corvette. The SIGMA 9113 that is offered by Gading Marine is exactly the same design that Indonesian Navy is currently using as the Diponegoro Class corvettes (4 units). The first 2 was bought with most equipments FFBNW. But the final 2 units are bought complete with weapons. The contract for the final 2 units costs around 339 million dollars, or about 170 million dollars each.

  As the DAMEN SIGMA 9113 is offered for the LMS batch 2, we can assume that the cost range of each LMS Batch 2 is about 170 million dollars.

  Then we can search around for the highest possible corvette or frigate specification that we could get for 170 million dollars.

  The Turkish Ada (MILGEM) class corvettes sold to Pakistan for 250 million each, so that is out of the price range.

  Gowind Corvettes for UAE costs 425 million dollars each, no difference to our LCS Gowind frigates. Pared down Gowind corvettes for Greece is said to cost around 350 million euros, still not much difference to our LCS Gowind.

  The brand new European Patrol Corvette (EPC) Program is interesting to follow. But the EPC projected cost is about 250-300 million euros per ship. Still out of the price range.

  The Spanish Avante 2200 corvette sold to Saudi Arabia for 360 million euros each.

  The highest specification ship we can get for around 170 million dollars after searching around is the Jose Rizal class frigate built by South Korea. Each ship costs 168.5 million dollars, installed with weapons but without the munitions (shells, torpedoes and missiles). Compared to the DAMEN SIGMA 9113, it has a length of 107m and has a displacement of 2,600 tonnes. DAMEN SIGMA 9113 has a length of 92m and has a displacement of 1,900 tonnes. The Jose Rizal is also equipped with a full helicopter hangar, something that the DAMEN SIGMA 9113 lacks.

  • The Jose Rizal is too big for the LMS Batch 2 requirements. Destini is only working with Damen for the MMEA OPV project now. Nothing else. They were supposed to work together for the LMS Batch 2 but I guessed Destini's financial difficulties made it difficult for Damen to work with them.

• Marhalim,

  If the LMS Batch 2 is to take up some of the tasks of the still unavailable LCS Gowind, a bigger ship for the same amount of money would always be better.

  Firdaus,

  The LMS batch 1 is better operated by MMEA, as they are the agency for our peacetime maritime security.

• firdaus

  ditch what? The navy barely have any ship to afford ditching brand new ones

• Firdaus - d )..or maybe RMN will ditch or transfer batch 1 altogether in future"

  Higher chance of Cinderrella appearing in the streets of K.L. The RMN is so short of hulls it would never under the present circumstances hand over anything.

• Seem unlike for TNI-AL.
  This model has VLS

• In the bigger scheme of things, it should not be about RMN. It should always be about Malaysia.

  It does not matter the specific patrol boat hull is under RMN or MMEA. It would still be patrolling to protect malaysian waters and exclusive economic zones.

  But the more patrol hulls, the more old patrol craft still being operated under the RMN budget, the less money RMN will have for proper fighting vessels that RMN could use to fight other naval forces. Current spend to relife evey single laksamana, FACs and even a few Vospers will be good for the short term, but will be devastating for RMN long term fleet build up.

• 1900Tons heavy than our Kedahs..are they sure this what RMM want?

• The LMS is originally envision as per DWF to only operate within the territorial waters,in their own words "MAF will deploy Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) that could conduct a wide variety of missions including SAR and HADR, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, intelligence gathering and reconnaissance, hydrography and mine countermeasures. The LMS is modular by design and can be fitted with additional weapons and systems to meet future operational requirements"

  Guess they go for a bigger ship to add on the capabilities of the LMS to achieve their goal in the EEZ As well? per DWP (and i paraphrase), "the MAF intensions is to achieve Sea Control on the air, surface and sub-surface through Sea Denial and Sea Assertion in the EEZ

• gonggok - but will be devastating for RMN long term fleet build up"

  "Devastating" is an exaggeration. I'd prefer ;detrimental" in that the ships should have been replaced years ago and the RMN had no choice but to spend the minimum needed to keep them in service to undertake certain roles. If the 8 Batch 2s come on time, together with the 4 Batch 1s, they will enable the FACs and Laksamanas to be retired but whether they are fitted out as planned is the key question. Them not being fitted out as planned would have a severe impact on the RMN's ability to meet possible wartime requirements.

  Another question is if only 2 of the multi role LCSs enter service or if the whole programme is scrapped; how long will it take to get replacements?