 |
| The latest CGI of the LMS. Note the main gun and containers on the foredeck. |
International Military - China and Malaysia actually have a close relationship regarding the procurement of defense equipment. So it's not surprising that China is trying to get closer to Malaysia to market defense equipment such as fighter jets to warships to Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia, which is looking for a lightweight fighter jet, is also not wasted by China.
The existence of an ema opportunity has made China try to offer light-class fighter jets to Malaysia. One of the lightweight fighter jets made in China that is trying to be offered to Malaysia is the L-15. Defense Secruity Asia's report on December 14 stated that the price of the L-15 was very competitive.
Although the Malaysian side has not yet decided which country to buy light fighter jets from. In addition, the close relationship between China and Malaysia can be seen from the procurement of LMS vessels. The LMS ship belonging to the Malaysian Navy is known to be a Chinese product.
So it's not surprising that China is trying to get closer to Malaysia again. Considering that Malaysia is currently planning to buy LMS Batch II vessels. “After supplying four Keris-class Littoral Mission Vessels (LMS) to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN),
China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Company (CSOC) also sees an opportunity to get more opportunities in Malaysia.” wrote Defense Secruity Asia, April 16, 2022. China itself made a lot of profit because the LMS ship made in its country was bought by Malaysia.
At least 1 billion ringgit has been disbursed by Malaysia to bring in the first batch of LMS ships. “Four Keris-class LMS vessels, which generated more than RM1 billion – KD Keris, KD Sundang, KD Badik and KD Rencong were completed within the stipulated period and assigned to TLDM service.” he explained.
Therefore, China is trying to return to being able to fill Malaysia's LMS Batch II ship. China also sees an opportunity to ship the MRSS to Malaysia. "On top of its good record, the CSOC company from China now aspires to try to attract the interest of the Ministry of Defense and RMN to participate in the Second Batch LMS and Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) shipbuilding program." write source.
The Malaysian Navy commander confirmed that the force plans to acquire three LMS Batch II vessels this year. This was done by the Malaysian Navy to further strengthen the capabilities of its LMS vessels.
In total, the Malaysian Navy plans to acquire 8 units of this LMS Batch II ship. Later the acquisition of the LMS Batch II ship will be carried out in stages including several 'Malaysia Plans'. Regarding the MRSS ship, it turns out that the Malaysian Navy has its own requirements.
“TLDM has a requirement to have up to three MRSS vessels in the near to medium term. Several foreign companies have clearly expressed interest in participating in tenders to supply MRSS vessels to RMN if a tender is advertised in the near future.”