KUALA LUMPUR: The construction of the Royal Malaysian Navy's first littoral combat ship (LCS) is on schedule, with its delivery expected in 2026.
The Defence Ministry in a statement said LCS 1 was put into water or "downslipped" on May 23, as per the contract schedule, at 6.30pm at Lumut Naval Shipyward Sdn Bhd (Lunas).
"Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin today visited the shipyard to closely check on the progress of the project, which is an important element to ensure that RMN receives the combat ships starting from the end of 2026.
"The downslip activity is crucial in the construction of LCS1 to enable the shipyard to complete the system integration before tests on various platforms and combat systems are carried out at the end of 2024," read the statement.
It said LCS1 will undergo a Harbour Acceptance Trial (HAT) and Sea Acceptance Trial (SAT) at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the construction of the other ships (LCS2 to LCS5) is on track and they are expected to be delivered in eight-month intervals starting from LCS2 in 2027.
LCS 5 is expected to be completed in 2029, it said.