The ''Maharaja Lela''-class frigate, also known as the littoral combat ship (LCS), is a class of six stealth
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s being built for the
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
First announced as the Second Generation Patrol Vessel in 2011, the ships are based on an enlarged version of the , designed by
Naval Group
Naval Group is a major French industrial group specialized in naval defense design, development and construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris.
Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direc ...
, formerly known as DCNS of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The contract has been finalised and it has been decided that all six ships will be built by local shipbuilder
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) for the RMN at a ceiling price of RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion), starting from 2015. With the ships being s long and a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
of , it would be the largest and most modern surface combatants in the Royal Malaysian Navy to date once delivered, being longer and more capable than the
''Lekiu''-class frigate.
Development
In early 2011, Malaysia announced its SGPV program with a budget of RM6 billion (US$1.9 billion) and six foreign shipbuilders announced interest in the project, most notably
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany (often abbreviated TKMS) is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deutsc ...
with the
MEKO 200
The MEKO 200 is a frigate design by the Blohm + Voss shipyard of Germany, as part of the MEKO family of warships.
Variants
''Anzac'' class (MEKO 200ANZ)
Ten MEKO 200 frigates were built to the ''Anzac''-class design: eight for the Royal Au ...
and
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding
Damen Naval is a Dutch shipyard, and a continuation of the Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, responsible for a number of ships used by the Royal Netherlands Navy. It is owned by the Damen Group. Damen Naval is situated in Vlissingen.
History
T ...
with the
Sigma class 10514 as well as
Naval Group
Naval Group is a major French industrial group specialized in naval defense design, development and construction. Its headquarters are located in Paris.
Heir to the French naval dockyards initiated in 1631 by Cardinal Richelieu and to the Direc ...
's which was ultimately selected.
In late 2011, it was announced that the Gowind class had been chosen and that the SGPV program had been awarded to
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC)/Naval Group, with the ceiling price increasing to RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion) from RM6 billion (US$1.9 billion). The RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion) contract included
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
rights and
technology transfer
Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...
. The ships' sizes had also changed in accordance with the increase in ceiling price, increasing from to . All six ships will be built in
Lumut, Malaysia
Lumut is a coastal town (population 31,880) and mukim in Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia, situated about from Ipoh, from the town of Sitiawan and it is the main gateway to Pangkor Island before established Marina Island Pangkor as second gat ...
and electronic components will be assembled in
Cyberjaya
Cyberjaya (a portmanteau of ''cyber'' and ''Putrajaya'') is a city with a science park as the core that forms a key part of the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia. It is located in Sepang District, Selangor. Cyberjaya is adjacent to, and deve ...
, a township in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
just south of
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
.
At DSA 2014, BHIC confirmed that the program is progressing rather well, with some parts already in critical design review the first ship expected to be finished by 2019. BHIC was in charge of designing the Malaysian specification.
On 5 October 2014, RMN chief Admiral Aziz told IHS Jane's that construction of the first of the six ships had started at the BHIC facilities in Lumut, and reiterating a 2019 delivery date for the first ship and the remaining five ships delivered at six-month intervals thereafter. It also stated that RMN's current planning schedule called for sea trials of the first ship to be carried out in 2018 and operational entry in 2019.
Delays
In 2020, the Malaysian government announced that the LCS project had encountered some delays. The Ministry of Defence awarded the project to BHIC in 2011 and at least two vessels slated by 2020 had not been delivered. The Ministry of Defence considered two options to resolve the delayed RM9 billion LCS project by BHIC. The first option required BHIC to complete the first of two ships, while the second option was for the government to ask Naval Group (the original designer) to complete the ships; the latter option was rejected by parliament.
Following the delays, the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said it would call up former defence minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said former RMN chief, Admiral Abdul Aziz Hj Jaafar and the main contractor of the LCS project, BHIC would also be called. Pangkor assemblyman Zambry Abdul Kadir said about 200 vendors and contractors would shut down and 10,000 workers would be affected if the LCS program continued to be delayed. On 5 May 2021, the Malaysian government decided that it would retain BHIC as the class' shipbuilder. In November 2021, Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein said, the first ship will be commissioned in 2025.
On August 4 2022, the PAC reported that RM1.4 billion had been misappropriated and that the project had been awarded through direct negotiations without an open tender. The then-defence minister
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi ( ms, أحمد زاهد بن حميدي, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; born 4 January 1953) is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 11th and 14th Deputy Prime Minister from July 2015 to M ...
had reportedly accepted the navy's preferred choice for a
''Sigma''-class design on 26 May 2011, but then decided in favour of the
''Gowind''-class design on 11 July 2011 after a discussion with Boustead Naval Shipyard. Then-chief of navy Abdul Aziz Jaafar protested against the choice and later stated that the RMN had fought a "losing battle, right from the start", citing that the ''Sigma'' was a proven concept with other navies operating it, unlike the ''Gowind'' design.
On 16 August 2022, former managing director of BHIC Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust in Sessions Court, where he pleaded not guilty. The accused had previously served as chief of navy prior to his BHIC appointment. The following day, Senior Defence Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein
Hishammuddin bin Hussein ( Jawi: هشام الدين بن حسين; born 5 August 1961) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as Senior Minister of the Security Cluster and Minister of Defence from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Unite ...
said that a Royal Commission of Inquiry is expected to be established to investigate the procurement process and subsequent non-delivery of the ships.
Characteristics
General
Specifications
*Displacement – 3,100 tons
*Length – 111 m (overall) / 105 m (waterline)
*Breadth – 16 m (main deck) / 14.2 m (waterline)
*Draught – 3.85 m
*Propulsion –
CODAD
Combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) is a propulsion system for ships using two diesel engines to power a single propeller shaft. A gearbox and clutches enable either of the engines or both of them together to drive the shaft. Two advantages over ...
*Maximum speed – 28 knots
*Range – 5,000 nm at 15 knots
*Crew – 138
*Survivability –
Sea State 9
*Endurance – 21 days
*Aircraft carried – 1 ×
Super Lynx 300 /
Fennec AS555 /
EC725
The Eurocopter EC725 Caracal, now called Airbus Helicopters H225M, is a long-range tactical transport military helicopter developed from the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar for military use. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 28 seated t ...
Sensors
![Smart-s cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Smart-s_cropped.jpg)
It is believed that the RMN had requested for
Thales Herakles
Herakles is a passive electronically scanned array multi-function radar manufactured by Thales Group. It is installed on board the FREMM multipurpose frigates and the Formidable-class frigates of the Republic of Singapore Navy.
It has a track ca ...
radar that used on the
FREMM frigates but BHIC had instead chosen the
SMART-S
SMART-S Mk2 ''(Signaal Multibeam Acquisition Radar for Tracking, S band Mk2)'' is a naval medium to long-range air and surface surveillance multibeam passive electronically scanned array 3D radar designed by Thales Nederland, formerly Hollandse ...
.
These following sensors have been chosen for the ships.
* Combat System: Naval Group SETIS
* Search radar:
Thales
Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...
SMART-S Mk2
* Fire control radar:
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange.
History
Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel
L ...
TMEO Mk2 electro-optical tracking system & TMX/EO Mk2
* Sonar:
Thales
Thales of Miletus ( ; grc-gre, Θαλῆς; ) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer, statesman, and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him ...
CAPTAS-2
ASW suite with hull sonar and
towed array sonar
A towed array sonar is a system of hydrophones towed behind a submarine or a surface ship on a cable. Trailing the hydrophones behind the vessel, on a cable that can be kilometers long, keeps the array's sensors away from the ship's own noise sour ...
Armament
![HMS Helsingborg 2 cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/HMS_Helsingborg_2_cropped.jpg)
The
Bofors 57 mm gun The Bofors 57 mm gun is a nickname or designation given to several types of guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors:
*, a 57 mm anti tank gun for the Swedish army during WW2.
* Bofors 57 mm Automatic Gun L/50, a 57 ...
will be mounted in a stealth cupola similar to the ones mounted on the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
s. This frigate also equipped with two
MSI DS30M 30 mm cannon as a secondary gun. BHIC also announced that there has been 16
Sylver VLS allocated on the deck of the ship for the
surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...
although the missiles not contracted yet as of 2019. At the
LIMA 2015, while the actual
Naval Strike Missile
The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA).
The original Norwegian name was Nytt sjømålsmissil (literally ''New sea target missile'', indicating ...
s were not specifically mentioned as included in the contract, Kongsberg has received a Letter of Award worth approximately 20 MEUR with Boustead Naval Shipyard in Malaysia, for NSM (Naval Strike Missile) ships equipment, that is, the delivery is to prepare for NSM
antiship missile
An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good nu ...
s onboard the upcoming RMN's LCS which will consist of the necessary fixed installations such as launchers, cables, electronics and integration to the combat management system SETIS to be provided by DCNS; the report implies the actual
cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
s are under a separate contract. For the anti-submarine capabilities, it is confirmed that the ships will be equipped with two J+S fixed triple torpedo launcher.
Ships of the class
See also
*
List of naval ship classes in service
The list of naval ship classes in service includes all combatant surface classes in service currently with navies or armed forces and auxiliaries in the world. Ships are grouped by type, and listed alphabetically within.
For other vessels, see ...
*
List of equipment of the Royal Malaysian Navy
The equipment of the Royal Malaysian Navy can be subdivided into: ship, aircraft, radar, weapon, munition, firearm and attire. All RMN ship carries the prefix KD ( Malay : ''Kapal Di-Raja'', literally "Royal Ship"), which is equivalent to "His ...
References
External links
Photos of an outdated model of the SGPV, seen without the stealth main gunGowind class Frigate – Royal Malaysian Navy on navyrecognition.com
{{Royal Malaysian Navy Ships
Frigate classes
Stealth ships
Maharaja Lela
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...