4th And Final LMS ‘Rencong’ Delivered To Royal Malaysian Navy
The fourth and final Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) was named "Rencong" and handed over to the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM or RMN). The naming and delivery ceremony took place today at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industrial Group, in Wuhan, China.
Rencong (114) began construction on 18 September 2019 and was launched on 16 December 2020 by the RMN LMS Project Team in Wuhan. Rencong is named after “a traditional Malay weapon which symbolizes the spirit of heroism, struggle, courage and strength in resisting and fend off enemy attacks”. All Keris-class LMS are named after traditional Malay weapons.
Fourth and final ship-in-class Rencong will join the 11th LMS Squadron with KD Keris (first LMS), KD Sundang (second LMS) and KD Badik (third LMS). Keris was launched in April 2019 and handed over in December 2019 while KD Badik was launched in October 2020 and handed over in October. Procurement of these LMS vessels is implemented under the Contract of the Ministry of Defense Malaysia with Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd which was signed on 23 March 2017 in collaboration with China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co. Ltd. (CSOC), China.
About Malaysia’s LMS
For the record, the acquisition contract of the LMS was signed on 23 March 2017 between the Malaysian Ministry of Defense and Boustead in collaboration with CSOC, China. LMS is one of the five classes of ships in the 15to5 Fleet Transformation Program. LMS construction is characterized by “fit for purpose”. This coastal patrol ship is a modular concept that is capable of being configured for specific missions depending on the needs.
All four LMS units will join the RMN Eastern Fleet where they will reinforce the readiness and sovereignty of eastern Malaysia’s maritime waters. The LMS will also address the problem of asset obsolescence as well as maintenance schedule cycles existing RMN ships.
The acquisition of the LMS is through cooperation with China, a first in the history of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Through this acquisition, Malaysia can strengthen diplomatic relations with China in defense and economy.
According to Janes, LMS type vessels had issues with their combat system, the RMN having compiled a list of deficiencies that were observed while operating the first in-class-ship.
LMS specifications
Length overall: 68.00 meters
Beam: 9.20 meters
Draft:
Crew: 45 (+16)
Max speed: 22 knots
Range: 2,000 nautical miles at 16 knots
Endurance: Up to 15 days at sea
Operation: Up to sea state 5
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