KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — Littoral combat ship KD Maharajalela (LCS 1) starts its first trial today to test machinery, power generation, air-conditioning and propulsion systems, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
He said the trial is an initial step to ensure LCS 1 is seaworthy, and that the shipyard-level sea trial phase for LCS 1 started on January 20.
“Although there has been a delay … LCS 1, which stood at 82.9 per cent progress as of last December, has been successfully launched and is now in the phase of installation and integration of the ship’s main systems.
“Specifically for LCS 1, the targeted progress should have been 96.52 per cent (in December), while the actual overall progress of the LCS project has reached 75.75 per cent, compared with the scheduled progress of 81.57 per cent,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz’s (PN-Tanah Merah) query about the performance of LCS 1 and whether the vessel would be commissioned according to schedule.
Khaled said preparations of the platform and equipment are underway to enable full sea trials for LCS 1 in early April.
According to him, a report submitted by Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) to the project team said the commissioning schedule for LCS 1 was revised to December this year.
“There is indeed a four-month delay. As for LCS 2, its commissioning has been revised to August 2027. For the subsequent vessels, 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, Khaled said the total contract value of the LCS project stands at RM11.2 billion, with current expenditure amounting to RM8.3 billion, or about 74 per cent of the total.
“In ensuring transparency and continuous oversight, the ministry has established various monitoring platforms such as the Project Management Review, Project Monitoring Committee and technical committees that meet regularly, with full involvement of the RMN (Royal Malaysian Navy) as the end-user and LUNAS,” he said.
Responding to a supplementary question from Ikmal Hisham on LCS 1 crew readiness, he said the RMN will ensure trained personnel are prepared in time for the delivery of the vessel.
