Portal partners
Turkey launched the third LMS Batch II corvette for Malaysia
Author:Mariusz Dasiewicz
On 9 August, a launching ceremony was held in Istanbul. Osman Yeva, third and again last corvettes built for Malaysian Navy under the Littoral Mission Ship Batch II program.
In the article
All three ships are already on the water, and the Turkish STM is now moving on to the most demanding part of the programme – equipping, integrating systems and trying to precede the transfer of units to the contracting authority.
Osman Yeva, bearing number 143, closes a series of three corvettes built in Turkey for the Maritime Forces of the Kingdom of Malaysia. Prior to launch Tanku Laksaman Abdul Jalil and Raja Laut. Work on the subsequent units was carried out with a slight time shift, which allowed the entire series to be completed within a few months.
For the Malaysian fleet, this means moving the program from the hull construction stage to the work that will decide to the greatest extent on the actual capabilities of new ships. The combat management system, radars, electronic combat equipment and weapons will now be installed and integrated on units. Port and sea tests will then begin.
According to the current timetable, all three corvettes are to be transferred Malaysia until the end of 2027.
Malaysia lists older ships
The LMS Batch II programme is part of the modernisation of the Malaysian Navy, which has been facing the problem of an ageing fleet for years and the need to maintain presence in vast maritime areas.
Meaning new corvettes it goes far beyond typical patrol tasks. Malaysia lies between two areas of great importance for world shipping – the Malakka Strait and the South China Sea. Ships are therefore not only to carry out patrols and control activities, but also to combat water targets, to provide defence against air threats and to support activities carried out by other fleet units.
This is a major difference compared to the first Malaysian Littoral Mission Ship type Keris. These units have much more modest weapons, while LMS Batch II are already full-value corvettes, designed for much more demanding tasks.
Almost 100 metres long and 2,500 tons of buoyancy
The new corvettes are 99.56 metres long, 14.42 metres wide and 3.94 metres submerged, and their full displacement is about 2500 tons. Drive system CODAD form four diesel engines, two collective-reduction gears and two shaft lines.
This allows to reach a speed exceeding 26 knots. At an economic speed of 14 knots, the range is expected to exceed 4000 nautical miles, which is relevant for a fleet operating in such a vast area.
On the stern is a landing and hangar for the helicopter. Under the aircraft deck there is also a dock for a six-metre semi-rigid boat, which can be used, among others, during inspection and boarding operations.
This allows the ship not only to carry out classical combat tasks, but also to conduct long-term patrols, control navigation and support maritime safety activities.
Turkish armaments and electronics
Much of the new corvettes' weapons and electronic equipment come from the Turkish defence industry. For Ankara, this is as important as the export of ships itself, as the programme has become a demonstration of the capabilities of the entire national sector Shipbuilding And weapons.
The main artillery armament is the MKE cannon Mili Deniz Topu cal. 76 mm. It is complemented by a remote-controlled stand Aselsan Smash cal. 30 mm.
Eight anti-ship missiles have been designed to combat ships and other navigating targets. ATMACA production of Roketsan. Protection against air hazards is to be provided by missiles placed in vertical VLS launchers.
The heart of the surveillance system will be the three-ordinated Aselsan CENK-400N radar, cooperating with the AKREP fire control system. Corvettes will also receive extensive electronic combat equipment, including the Aselsan ARES family system.
So it is not about the individual equipment supplied by Turkish companies, but about the wide use of national systems, which together form the essential part of the ship's combat equipment.
Important contract also for Turkey
Construction of three Corvettes for Malaysia is the first Turkish export of ships of this class to the Asia-Pacific region. The programme is also political because it is the first intergovernmental arms agreement of this kind concluded between Turkey and Malaysia.
STM is responsible for ship design, programme management, construction, equipment purchase, system integration, testing and logistics support preparation.
As a result, Turkey does not act exclusively as a hull contractor, but as a supplier of a complete warship with weapons, electronics and combat management systems.
However, not only Malaysia will benefit from the programme. For STM, the construction of three Corvettes can become a pass to subsequent orders in the Asia-Pacific region, where the Turkish shipbuilding industry is just building its position.
Now the hardest part of the program
Launching Osman Yeva ends the most spectacular part of the construction, but does not yet mean that the ships are near incarnation into service. Equipment works on all three corvettes will be carried out "on the tab", in a small period of time. Later comes the time to integrate weapons and electronic systems and port and sea tests.
Only their course will show if the rate seen during the construction of the hulls can be maintained also at a stage that is usually much more demanding.
If the schedule is met, Malaysian by the end of next year Polish Navy will receive three corvettes with possibilities incomparably greater than earlier Littoral Mission Ship. For Kual Lumpur, this will be a noticeable reinforcement of the fleet, and for the Turkish shipbuilding industry further proof that it can not only build modern ships for its own navy but also effectively offer them on an increasingly demanding export market.
