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THE Ministry of Defence has adjusted the commissioning timeline for its long-delayed Littoral Combat Ship programme, with the first vessel now expected to be commissioned in December 2026, later than previously projected.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the revised schedule was based on feedback submitted by Lumut Naval Shipyard to the project team.
Under the updated timeline, LCS 2 is slated for commissioning in August next year, while the schedules for subsequent vessels remain unchanged.
“For the information of the House, as at Dec 25, 2025, the ministry was informed by LUNAS that the overall progress of the LCS Project had reached 75.75 per cent actual progress compared with 81.57 per cent planned,” he said.
Mohamed Khaled added that progress on LCS 1 stood at 82.90 per cent, below the planned 96.52 per cent.
“The progress of this project covers the construction of the ship’s structure, installation of major equipment and the integration of the ship’s systems,” he said.
“Although there has been a delay compared with the original schedule, the ministry has been informed by LUNAS that LCS 1 has been successfully launched into the water and is now in the phase of installation and integration of the ship’s main systems,” he added.
He was responding during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday to a question from Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN–Tanah Merah), who sought an update on the performance of LCS 1 during sea trials and whether the vessel could be commissioned as early as August this year.
Mohamed Khaled said harbour-level sea trials for LCS 1 began on Jan 20, 2026, followed by its first sea-going phase on Jan 28, 2026.
“This includes testing of machinery systems, generators, air-conditioning systems and the propulsion system,” he said.
“This is the initial process to ensure that LCS 1 is capable of sailing at sea. Meanwhile, preparations of the platform and equipment are being actively carried out to enable full sea trials to commence in early April 2026,” he added.
He confirmed that the commissioning schedule for the remaining ships remains unchanged, with LCS 3 targeted for December 2027, LCS 4 for August 2028 and LCS 5 for April 2029.
On costs, Mohamed Khaled said the total contract value of the LCS project stands at RM11.2 billion for all five vessels.
“Current expenditure amounts to RM8.3 billion, or approximately 74 per cent of the total,” he said.
“To ensure transparency and continuous oversight, the Defence Ministry has established various monitoring platforms such as the Project Management Review, Project Monitoring Committee and Technical Committees, which meet regularly with the full involvement of the Royal Malaysian Navy as the end user and LUNAS,” he added. - January 28, 2026
