Not true, minister says on A-G’s 2035 projection for LCS 1
Khaled Nordin says alternative missile deals Malaysia is seeking with other nations will only take three years for delivery and installation.
Defence Minister Khaled Nordin has refuted the Auditor-General's projection that the first littoral combat ship (LCS 1) may not begin operations until December 2035. The projection, outlined in the Auditor-General's Report 2/2026, was based on a cancelled missile contract with Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The cancellation was due to approval issues from Washington and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Khaled.
With Malaysia now considering alternative missile deals with Korea, Turkey, and France, the delivery timeframe for LCS 1 is expected to be three years, not 2035. The minister emphasized that the ship will still be armed with surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-sea missiles, and other systems, and could receive assistance from the air force for longer-range targets.
Malaysia has filed a claim for over RM1 billion in compensation from Kongsberg following the termination of the missile contract.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Not true, minister says on A-G’s 2035 projection for LCS 1 freemalaysiatoday.com
