The Queen, Raja Zarith Sofiah – launched and named the first RMN Litorral Mission Ship Batch 2 – PCU Tunku Laksamana Abdul Jalil – pennant number 141 – at the Istanbul Shipyard, Turkiye today. The ship is named after her third son, Tunku Abdul Jalil – Tunku Laksamana Johor – who died at the age of 25, on December 5, 2015, due to cancer.
Also present were his siblings, Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Temenggong Johor; Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Panglima Johor and Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim, Tunku Putera Johor. Defence Minister DS Khaled Nordin was also present at the ceremony.
The launch took place some 413 days after the keel of the ship was laid at the shipyard. It is 537 days or one year, five months and twenty-one days after the first steel was cut.
Defence Minister DS Khaled Nordin had in July last year announced that the first LMS Batch 2 will be launched in April this year. What he said:
The first LMS Batch 2 contracted to Turkish firm, STM and built at the Istanbul Shipyard, is expected to be launch by April next year, Defence Minister DS Khaled Nordin said in Turkiye on July 24. This is to be followed by the launch of the second ship by June and the third by August, the same year.
If the launch indeed take place in April, this means that it will take some one year and five months as the steel cutting of the first LMS Batch 2 was conducted on November 4. The three ships will be delivered to the RMN as scheduled by mid or end of 2027. This is in contrast with the LCS.
His statement was correct as the technical launch was conducted last month. It is likely that the second ship will be launched next month, and the third this August. Whether or not the delivery schedule – by mid or end of 2027 – will be met, is beyond me. As long the progress payment continues, I believed it will be.
The ministry has also signed the contracts for the major weapon systems of the ships, the Roketsan Atmaca and LIG Nex K-SAAM at the recent DSA 2026. It is unclear whether both weapon systems will be fitted on the ships when they sailed home from Turkiye.
— Malaysian Defence