SHAH ALAM: Light At The End of The Tunnel. Although the government has agreed to the RMN’s 15 to 5 transformation plan, no further funds have been allocated apart from those for the six LCS.
RMN chief Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Baharuddin says however the planning for two MRSS was on track and an open tender will be done to select the ship for the program though he admitted there was no timeline just yet for when funding will be made available.
The same goes for the follow on ships of the Kedah class. To reduce cost of the 12 more Kedah class, the navy wants to used as much components being fitted on the LCS as possible especially those already manufactured locally .
Asked whether this will mean the weapon systems selected for LCS will also be used on the new Kedah, Kamarulzaman says it was possible but stressed there were cheaper alternatives in the market though he did not specify their origins.
As for the LMS, Kamarulzaman said steel cutting for the first ship is expected in August though it could be brought forward in April. He was speaking at the keel laying ceremony of the third LCS at Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut on Dec. 17.
As for the LCS, the first ship of class, Maharaja Lela is expected to undergo harbour trials by the end of 2018.
BNS MD Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Noor says they expect the ship to make its debut at Lima 2019 in Langkawi after completing its harbour trial. He says they were quite confident that it will be commissioned in the same year as per the contract with the government.
Work to outfit the Maharaja Lela was continuing although Ramli declined to specify the percentage of work done though it appears that her twins screws had been fitted. He however said work on the second LCS was 75 per cent complete. The keel for LCS 2 was laid on Feb. 28, this year.
The second LCS, now to be named after Raja Mahadi, the Selangor warlord who was largely responsible for the civil war in the state between 1867 and 1874, is expected to be launch in October, 2018. She is expected to be launched into the water as BNS had planned to fit most of her equipment prior to launch unlike Maharaja Lela.
Work on the third LCS, to be named Shariff Masahor is expected to be launched in 2019 while the keel laying ceremony for the fourth LCS is expected by late 2018. The third LCS is named after the Sarawak warrior who fought against the Brook White Rajahs starting in 1859.
After he was defeated, Sharif Masahor was exiled to Selangor where he sided with Raja Mahadi in the Selangor civil war. He died in Kerling, Selangor, in 1890.
Initially the second LCS was to be named after Sharif Masahor and third Raja Mahadi but BNS and RMN decided to swap them out. For the record the other LCS will also be named after warriors, originally the fourth one will Mat Salleh (fourth), Tok Janggut (fifth) and the sixth Mat Kilau. It is not known yet whether the names will also be rotated.
— Malaysian Defence
If you like this post, buy me an espresso. Paypal Payment
So basically there is no additional budget in RMK11. The navy budget for RMK11 is spent on the 3 Gowinds and refit of the 2 submarines. Just have to wait for what is available for RMK12 (2021-2025).
For RMK12 from the navy’s 15 to 5 plan:
3x SGPV Gowind (1200 million)
8x LMS (544 million)
1x NGPV Kedah (170 million??)
1x MRSS (100 million??)
That is around usd 2 billion of new assets.
I still believe that we just need an additional 6 Kedahs, to add to the existing 6. The current Kedahs IMO could still be sailed up till 2050, so new replacements to the seeked (or a Kedah batch 3 perhaps) around that time.
“RMN chief Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Baharuddin says however the planning for two MRSS was on track and an open tender will be done to select the ship for the program though he admitted there was no timeline just yet for when funding will be made available.”
2 MRSS?based on pic it suppose to be 3. am i missing something?
happy to know about LCS and excited to see LMS as soon as possible.
Reply
They want 12 LCS but only got funding for six, for now.
Good news in that the there is intent of achieving some level of commonality between the LCS and follow Kedahs; instead of fitting them out with stuff that has no commonality with either the LCS or the Batch 1 Kedahs. Apart from the costs of sensors, weapons, etc, the final price of the Kedahs [and the MRSS] will also be determined by factors such as damage control standards and other areas.
Ideally, the RMN will also be in a position where certain deficiencies with the initial 6 are rectified on the follow on 6; assuming of course it doesn’t become cost prohibitive.
Zack, I am sure it’s all politics. If you really need 2 MRSS, say 3 or 4 are needed, so you appear to be reasonable and can compromise. Its like bargaining at the pasar malam.
I really don’t think the navy should procure additional Kedah Class. Just arm the existing Kedah Class and concentrate on additional LCS, Sub and most importantly the MRSS to ship thing more efficiently. If the government really want the Kedah class than the budget should give to the MMEA for more OPV.
Just my thoughts.
Why no ships named after Kanang Anak Langkau?. He has both a SP n PGB
Reply
I think they shy away from naming ships after a person who is in recent memory.
Try explaining the meaning of Tok Janggut to a Mat Salleh
Reply
Easy actually, the Bearded Man though as it a proper noun it shouldn’t be translated
Wisdom on behalf of TLDM.
By naming all the six LCS with our glorious past warriors, the future generation will never forget about the rich history of our homeland.
Syabas.
“He however said work on the second LCS was 75 per cent complete”
From your picture of the LCS 2, I would say the ship’s hull construction is 75% complete, not the whole ship construction.
Reply
Yes I think that was what he meant.
Meh – ”Just arm the existing Kedah Class and concentrate on additional LCS,”
Again – it all depends on what roles follow on Kedahs are intended to perform and whether there’s funding to fit them out the way the RMN desires. If we get follow on Kedahs which are inferior in sensor/SA capability compared to the initial 6 then it really defeats the whole purpose on getting more Kedahs. How the LMS will be fitted out will also determine what roles the Kedahs are expected to perform. With regards to arming the existing Kedahs not only is there a limit to what we can armed them with but the fact that 6 Kedahs – whether fully armed or not – are not sufficient to meet current operational – peacetime – needs. Bear in mind that the Kedah class was originally intended to perform lower end types of roles with the higher end stuff to be performed by Lekius; hence there only being space for 4 SSMs and place in the B position for RAM.
What would really simplify things is if the government could provide a firm indication as to when work will commence on follow on LCS – whether in 10 or 6 years – then it would be easier for the RMN to plan ahead and determine its future force structure with regards to the LMS and Kedahs.
Tom Tom – ” If you really need 2 MRSS, say 3 or 4 are needed, so you appear to be reasonable and can compromise”
Of course. The bean counters at the Economic Planning Unit and at MINDEF will make the RMN justify why it needs ‘x’ number of MRSS hulls and the RMN will have to provide full justification. Even given that we don’t regularly operate at a high tempo and don’t have expeditionary taskings; ideally at minimum we would have 3 MRSS to ensure that 1 is always ready to put to sea and that another is ready to put to sea when another returns.
Is anybody even thinking about reducing the number of CMS for our ships to reduce costs?
Reply
For new ships they may do but for old ones it will be very expensive to replace them