Govt to acquire Turkish missiles for LCS

The Malaysian government has decided to equip its littoral combat ships (LCS) with anti-ship missiles sourced from Turkey, superseding the current naval strike missile system provided by Norway. This strategic shift in defense procurement was announced by Defence Minister Khaled Nordin, who stated that the decision was made following an evaluation of proposals from various nations, including France and Italy.

The primary considerations for the selection were cost, delivery timelines, and upfront expenses, as reported by Bernama.

Rationale behind choosing Turkey's missiles over competing offers was attributed to the superior alternative presented by the Turkish side. Khaled Nordin confirmed this after his participation in the Ministry's Innovation Day celebration held in Kuala Lumpur. He further elaborated that the government would proceed with negotiations with Turkey to finalize the arrangements.

Previously, in October, Nordin had hinted at a substantial budget allocation ranging from RM700 million to over RM1 billion for a new surface-to-surface missile system, citing the cancellation of an export license by Norway for the system intended for LCS. Malaysia had initially procured this system from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace under a contract signed in 2018, with the intent to equip six LCS.

However, Norway's decision to revoke the export permit stemmed from its policy to restrict defense technology exports to its "allies and closest partners".