Maharaja Lela-class frigate

The Maharaja Lela-class frigates (before known as Second Generation Patrol Vessel (SGPV) or Littoral combat ships (LCS)) is a class of six stealth frigates being built for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).[1] The ships are based on an enlarged version of the Gowind-class corvette, designed by DCNS of France. The contract has been finalised and it has been decided that all six ships will be built by local shipbuilder Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) for the RMN at a ceiling price of RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion), starting from 2015.[9] The ships will be 111 meters long with a displacement of 3,100 tonnes.[10]

Egyptian Navy Gowind-class corvette which is same design as Maharaja Lela-class frigate
Class overview
Name: Maharaja Lela class
Builders:
Operators:  Royal Malaysian Navy
Preceded by: Lekiu-class frigate
Cost:
  • RM 9 billion (2011) for 6 units + ToT (ceiling)
  • RM 1.5 billion (2011) per unit + ToT (ceiling)
Planned: 6[1]
Building: 5[2][3][4]
Completed: 1
General characteristics
Type: Littoral combat ship (LCS)/Frigate
Displacement: 3,100 tons
Length:
  • 111 m (364 ft) (overall)
  • 105 m (344 ft) (waterline)
Beam:
  • 16 m (52 ft) (main deck)
  • 14.2 m (47 ft) (waterline)
Draught: 3.85 m (12.6 ft)
Propulsion: CODAD 4 x MTU 20V 1163 M94, each rated at 7,400 kW (9,925 shp) Total output: 29,600 kW (39,694 shp) [5]
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range: 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement: 138[6]
Sensors and
processing systems:
Electronic warfare
& decoys:

Thales Vigile ESM

Wallop/Esterline Super Barricade decoy system
Armament:
Aircraft carried:
  • Various types of UAVs
  • and helicopter, weighing up to 10 tons
Aviation facilities:

Stern hangar

Helicopter landing platform

Development

In early 2011, Malaysia announced its SGPV program with a budget of RM6 billion (US$1.9 billion) and six foreign shipbuilders announced interest in the project, most notably ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems with the MEKO 200 and Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding with the Sigma class 10514 as well as DCNS's Gowind-class corvette which was ultimately selected.[11]

In late 2011, it was announced that the Gowind class had been chosen and that the SGPV program had been awarded to Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC)/DCNS, with the ceiling price increasing to RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion) from RM6 billion (US$1.9 billion). The RM9 billion (US$2.8 billion) contract included intellectual property rights and technology transfer.[12] The ships' sizes had also changed in accordance with the increase in ceiling price, increasing from 2,700 tonnes to 3,100 tonnes. All six ships will be built in Lumut, Malaysia and electronic components will be assembled in Cyberjaya, a township in Malaysia just south of Kuala Lumpur.

At DSA 2014, BHIC confirmed that the program is progressing rather well, with some parts already in critical design review the first ship expected to be finished by 2019. BHIC was in charge of designing the Malaysian specification of the Gowind-class ship with DCNS assistance.[13]

On 5 October 2014, RMN chief Admiral Aziz told IHS Jane's that construction of the first of the six ships had started at the BHIC facilities in Lumut, and reiterating a 2019 delivery date for the first ship and the remaining five ships delivered at six-month intervals thereafter. It also stated that RMN's current planning schedule called for sea trials of the first ship to be carried out in 2018 and operational entry in 2019. In 2020, Malaysian government have announced that the LCS program encountered some delays.[14]

Characteristics

General

Specifications

  • Displacement – 3,100 tons
  • Length – 111 m (overall) / 105 m (waterline)
  • Breadth – 16 m (main deck) / 14.2 m (waterline)
  • Draught – 3.85 m
  • Propulsion – CODAD
  • Maximum speed – 28 knots
  • Range – 5,000 nm at 15 knots
  • Crew – 138
  • Survivability – Sea State 9
  • Endurance – 21 days
  • Aircraft carried – 1 × Super Lynx 300 / Fennec AS555 / EC725

Sensors
SMART-S radar for the SGPVs

It is believed that the RMN had requested for Thales Herakles radar that used on the FREMM frigates but BHIC had instead chosen the SMART-S.[15] These following sensors have been chosen for the ships.

Combat System:DCNS SETIS
Search radar:Thales SMART-S Mk2
Fire control radar:Rheinmetall TMEO Mk2 electro-optical tracking system & TMX/EO Mk2
Sonar:Thales CAPTAS-2 ASW suite with hull sonar & towed array sonar

Armament
The stealth 57 mm gun to equip the SGPVs, seen with the barrel retracted

The Bofors 57 mm gun will be mounted in a stealth cupola similar to the ones mounted on the Swedish Visby-class corvette. This frigate also equipped with two MSI DS30M 30 mm cannon as a secondary gun. BHIC also announced that there has been 16 Sylver VLS allocated on the deck of the ship for the surface-to-air missile although the missiles not contracted yet as 2019. At the LIMA 2015, BHIC confirmed that the Naval Strike Missile had been chosen for this frigate anti-ship missile requirement, winning over the Exocet MM40 Block 3.[16]For the anti-submarine capabilities, it is confirmed that the ships will be equipped with two J+S fixed triple torpedo launcher.[17]

Ships of the class
BuildersNamePennant numberLaid downLaunchedCommissionedHomeport
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Maharaja Lela25018 March 201624 August 2017[18]expected 2021
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Syarif Masahor250228 February 2017[3]
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Raja Mahadi250318 December 2017[2]
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Mat Salleh250431 October 2018[19]
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Tok Janggut2505TBA[20]
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) Mat Kilau2506

See also

References
  1. "Malaysian Ministry of Defence Confirms Construction of Gowind ships for LCS program". navyrecognition.com. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  2. http://www.malaysiandefence.com/keel-laying-ceremony-for-third-lcs/
  3. http://www.malaysiandefence.com/no-quarter/
  4. "No Quarter". malaysiandefence.com. Retrieved 1 Sep 2017.
  5. https://www.bhic.com.my/doc/LCS.pdf
  6. "NavyRecognition". Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  7. "LIMA 2015 update". Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  8. "Letter of Award for NSM ships equipment with Malaysian Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd". Navy Recognition. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  9. Abas, Marhalim (17 July 2014). "SGPV-LCS Contract Formalised". Malaysian Defence. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  10. "Royal Malaysian Navy Releases First Official Image of its LCS-SGPV Corvette". navyrecognition.com. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  11. Abas, Marhalim (22 February 2011). "SGPV or LCS...Part II". Malaysian Defence. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  12. Abas, Marhalim (17 December 2011). "SGPV/LCS/ Frigate awarded to BNS/DCNS Ceiling Price Goes Up to RM9 billion". Malaysian Defence. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  13. "Malaysian Navy Gowind SGPV LCS program update at DSA 2014 with Boustead". Youtube.
  14. https://www.malaysiandefence.com/here-we-go-again-lcs/
  15. "Thales SMART-S Mk2 radar and CAPTAS- 2 towed sonar confirmed for Malaysia LCS program". navyrecognition.com. 18 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  16. "Letter of Award for NSM ships equipment with Malaysian Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd". 9 April 2015.
  17. "J+S Ltd to supply the Torpedo Launching System for the Royal Malaysian Navy LCS/SGPV corvettes". navyrecognition.com. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  18. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2017/august-2017-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/5505-royal-malaysian-navy-launched-its-first-lcs-gowind-frigate-kd-maharaja-lela.html
  19. http://www.malaysiandefence.com/fourth-lcs-keel-laying-ceremony/
  20. https://www.malaysiandefence.com/here-we-go-again-lcs/
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