Malaysia Launches Third Littoral Combat Ship “Sharif Mashor”, Marking a Critical Milestone for the Royal Malaysian Navy

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) third Littoral Combat Ship (Littoral Combat Ship – LCS), “Sharif Mashor,” was launched today at the Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS) facility in Lumut.

The naming and launching ceremony of LCS 3 was officiated by Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi, the wife of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Dr Haji Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar.

The naming of Sharif Mashor as LCS 3 elevates the spirit of heroism and courage of the Sarawakian warrior as a symbol of strength and determination for the Royal Malaysian Navy in defending the nation’s maritime sovereignty.

Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari, who attended the ceremony, said the ship named after Sharif Masahor, a Sarawakian warrior, is also a symbol of national pride as it is the first frigate-class vessel to be fully built by a local company, Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd.

“The role of the Royal Malaysian Navy and other maritime agencies is becoming increasingly challenging amid the evolving global security situation.

“The capability and strength to safeguard maritime interests, strategic sea lanes and national waters from any threats continue to receive the government’s attention and priority,” he said.

He added that the recent launch of the National Defence Industry Policy demonstrates the government’s commitment to developing a sustainable defence industry through technology mastery, empowerment of local talent, increased local content, and strategic cooperation to reduce the country’s dependence on external parties.

The naming and launching ceremony of LCS 3 Sharif Mashor reflects the structured progress of the LCS Programme as well as the government’s commitment to strengthening the nation’s naval defence capabilities through the development of high-technology assets and the empowerment of the local defence industry.

LCS 3 also stands as a symbol of national pride as the first frigate-class ship to be fully built by a local company, further reinforcing the maritime and national security industrial ecosystem.

Also present were the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence, Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali; the Chief of Navy, Admiral Tan Sri (Dr) Zulhelmy Ithnain; the top management of Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS) led by its Chief Executive Officer, Ir Azhar Jumaat; as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Malaysian Navy, and representatives of the defence industry, reflecting strong national leadership support for the continuity of the LCS Programme.

LCS 1, KD Maharajalela, began its first sea sailing at the end of last month for the purpose of testing its machinery systems, power generation, air-conditioning systems and propulsion system.

Speaking in Parliament, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this marked the initial process to ensure that LCS 1 is capable of operating at sea.

He said the shipyard-level sea trial phase for LCS 1 had commenced since Jan 20.

“Although there have been delays compared with the original schedule, LCS 1, which had reached a progress level of 82.90 percent as of December last year, has been successfully launched into the water and is now in the phase of installation and integration of the ship’s main systems.

“Specifically for LCS 1, the scheduled progress should have been 96.52 percent, while the actual overall progress of the LCS project has reached 75.75 percent, compared with the planned target of 81.57 percent,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.

Mohamed Khaled said preparations of the platform and equipment are being actively carried out to enable full sea trials for LCS 1 to begin in early April.

He said reports submitted by Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) to the project team indicated that the commissioning schedule for LCS 1 has been revised to December this year.

“There is indeed a four-month delay. As for LCS 2, it has been revised to August 2027. For the subsequent ships, the commissioning of LCS 3 remains scheduled for December 2027, LCS 4 for August 2028, and LCS 5 for April 2029,” he said.

On expenditure costs, Mohamed Khaled said the total contract value of the LCS project stands at RM11.2 billion for all five ships, with current spending amounting to RM8.3 billion, or approximately 74 percent of the total.

“In ensuring transparency and continuous governance, the ministry has established various monitoring platforms such as the Project Management Review, Project Monitoring Committee, as well as technical committees that convene regularly with full involvement of the Royal Malaysian Navy as the end-user and LUNAS,” he said.

Regarding the preparation of crew skills to operate LCS 1, he said the Royal Malaysian Navy is giving serious attention to the matter to ensure that the provision of trained crews is aligned with the timeline of the ship’s handover.

Lumut Naval Shipbuilding has “downslipped” the second Littoral Combat Ship for the Royal Malaysian Navy, LCS 2 Raja Muda Nala, at its Lumut shipyard.

As it did with LCS 1 Maharaja Lela in May 2024, LUNAS described the May 8 launch of Raja Muda Nala as a “downslip”, with the ship entering the water for the first time in the afternoon of May 8 after the signing of the Downslip Safety Checklist earlier that day.

LUNAS announced on May 7 that Raja Muda Nala had been moved onto the shipyard’s shiplift, following the installation of its main surveillance radar, main mast and radome.

As it did with LCS 1 Maharaja Lela in May 2024, LUNAS describes the May 8 launch of Raja Muda Nala as a “downslip”, with the ship entering water for the first time in the afternoon of May 8 after the signing of the Downslip Safety Checklist earlier that day.

LUNAS announced on May 7 last year that Raja Muda Nala had been moved onto the shipyard’s shiplift, following the installation of its main surveillance radar, main mast and radome.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA