Keel-Laying Ceremony Held for Malaysia Corvette Project
STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc., a leading company in the Turkish defense industry, began work in 2024 on the construction of three corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy under the LMS Batch-2 program. Following the steel-cutting ceremony in December, the keel-laying ceremony for the corvettes’ blocks was held on April 8 at the Istanbul Shipyard Inc.
The ceremony was attended by Malaysia’s Defense Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Lokman Hakim bin Ali, Royal Malaysian Navy Commander Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy bin Ithnain, and STM Vice President of Naval Systems Bülent Soydal.
In his speech, Soydal emphasized STM’s leadership in Turkey’s military maritime sector, stating: “We are delighted to strengthen our defense cooperation with friendly and brotherly nations. The keel-laying ceremony for the three corvettes under the LMS Batch-II Project for the Royal Malaysian Navy is a concrete testament to the deep friendship and collaboration between Turkey and Malaysia. These corvettes, marking Turkey’s first corvette export to the Asia-Pacific region, will enable the Royal Malaysian Navy to effectively carry out various maritime defense tasks. Based on the proven ADA-class design, we will deliver the three corvettes by the end of 2027.”
Through the MİLGEM project, led by the Turkish Navy and the Secretariat of Defense Industries (SSB), Turkey has become one of the 10 countries capable of designing and building its own warships. Today, aligned with SSB’s export vision, Turkey contributes to its economy while enhancing the defense capabilities of friendly nations. In this context, the “G2G Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony for Defense Products Supply” and the “Letter of Acceptance (LoA) Delivery Ceremony for the Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2 Project” for the Royal Malaysian Navy were held in Ankara on June 10. The steel-cutting ceremony for the ships took place in Istanbul on December 4, 2024.
The three corvettes, designed and customized by STM to meet the Royal Malaysian Navy’s requirements, are being built in Turkey under the Littoral Mission Ship Second Batch (LMSB2) Project. STM, as the main contractor, is responsible for all project phases, from design to delivery. This includes ship design, project management, construction management, material/system procurement, integration design and installation, testing, and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) activities, as well as preparing design and ILS documentation.
The ships’ construction and outfitting will be carried out in Turkey with significant participation from Turkish defense industry companies. The corvettes, built under STM’s main contractorship, will feature systems developed by ASELSAN, including the 30 mm MUHAFIZ (Smash) Remote-Controlled Stabilized Gun System, CENK 3D Search Radar, ARES 2D Surface Radar ESM System, Akrep Fire Control Radar, Chaff Decoy System, IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) System, and other electronic sensors; the ATMACA Anti-Ship Missile developed by ROKETSAN; and the Combat Management System (CMS) and 76 mm gun fire control system developed by HAVELSAN. The ships will measure 99.56 meters in length, have a displacement of 2,500 tons, a maximum speed of 26 knots, a helicopter landing platform, and a crew capacity of 111 personnel.
