Malaysia has picked Turkiye to supply anti-ship missiles for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s littoral combat ships (LCS), replacing the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) it ordered from Norway, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said on Thursday (Nov 12).
He said the government had evaluated proposals from several countries, including France and Italy, on price, delivery time and upfront costs, and decided that Turkiye offered the best alternative. The ministry will now hold further negotiations with the Turkish side to finalise the deal.
Speaking to reporters after the ministry’s Innovation Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Khaled said the Turkish missile has an operational range of 240km and could be delivered as early as 2028.
Malaysia would not have to bear the full cost of the new missiles, he said, as part of the cost had already been absorbed under the LCS contract. The government would mainly need to pay for installing the launchers and integrating the systems on the ships. Buying new missiles outside the LCS contract could have cost between RM700 million and RM900 million, he added.
Malaysia ordered the NSM from Norwegian defence company Kongsberg under a 2018 contract to arm six LCS, but the missiles have not been delivered after the Norwegian government blocked their export. Norway has said exports of its defence technology would be limited to its allies and closest partners.
Malaysia has already paid for the Norwegian missiles but has not received them. Khaled said initial negotiations with Norway had reached a deadlock, and the matter has now moved to the second stage, in which the two sides set up a dispute resolution committee.
If that fails, Malaysia will proceed to arbitration, which can be held in Kuala Lumpur under the terms of the NSM contract, he said.
The search for a replacement missile will go ahead while the dispute process with Norway continues, he added.