The Gowind
frigate, designed by French company DCNS, has been selected for the
Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme. However,
the contract for building the six ships remains on hold due to disagreements
between the builder, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), and the
end user RMN, according to people familiar with the programme.
One of the key sticking points is BNS and DCNS’s insistence that
the ships adopt the SETIS combat management system (CMS) designed by
the French company.
RMN instead wants another system developed by Thales, the Tacticos,
being integrated into one of its vessels, KD Kasturi.
The navy had hoped to reduce the number of CMS in its fleet to reduce
training and support issues. RMN chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar told
theSun yesterday that the government had chosen the Gowind design for
the LCS programme.
He declined to confirm or deny speculation that the contract would only
be signed when the RMN was satisfied that its requirements were met.
He, however, confirmed most of the specifications for the ship had been
finalised. |
BNS managing director Tan Sri
Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor, however, denied the delay was due to disagreement
with the end user.
“It is up to the government. We are ready to go forward,”
said Ahmad Ramli, a former RMN chief.
Despite the delay, BNS is displaying a model of the Gowind frigate at
the Langkawi International Maritime Aerospace exhibition here. The frigate
is 107m-long with a displacement of 2,750 tonnes.
It will be armed with a 57mm gun, surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes.
With four diesel engines, the ship will have a top speed of 29 knots.
theSun had reported on Tuesday that the widely speculated deal for six
LCS would be delayed until next year. |
