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The Laksamana class is a class of small
missile In military terminology, a missile is a missile guidance, guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously ...
corvettes comprising four ships currently in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy. All four ships of the Laksamana class are currently serving in the 24th Corvette Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy.


Development

The Laksamana-class corvettes were originally purchased by the
Iraqi Navy The Iraqi Naval Forces (Arabic: القوات البحرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed forces of Iraq. Formed in 1937, initially as the ''Iraqi Coastal Defense Force,'' its primary resp ...
as the s, their delivery was delayed and later cancelled because of
international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect in ...
against Iraq following the
invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was an operation conducted by Iraq on 2 August 1990, whereby it invaded the neighboring State of Kuwait, consequently resulting in a seven-month-long Iraqi military occupation of the country. The invasion and Ira ...
by Iraq. It is based on the Fincantieri Type 550 corvette design. In October 1995, the Malaysian Ministry of Finance signed a contract with Italian company
Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (20 ...
for the supply of two 675-ton missile corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy. Two more missile corvettes were ordered in February 1997. Some specific aspects of the ships' design were modified and the ships were refitted to meet the requirements of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The first two ships, named KD ''Laksamana Hang Nadim'' and KD ''Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil'', were commissioned in July 1997. The second two, named KD ''Laksamana Muhammad Amin'' and KD ''Laksamana Tan Pusmah'', were delivered in July 1999. The ships are all named after famous Malay warriors who have earned the title
Laksamana The Laksamana ( Jawi: ) is a position within the armed forces, similar to the position of admiral in Malay sultanates and in present-day countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Since South East Asia was part of Indosphere of Greater India since earl ...
during their lifetimes. ("Laksamana" would translate as an admiral in modern usage, but in the Malay Sultanates, the title would be more a minister of the realm (a warrior) who is responsible for defense of the realm. The Laksamana is the second most senior position the Malay court, lower only than the Bendahara).


Characteristics


Sensors

The ship's radar suite consists of a RAN 12L/X air and surface search radar, operating in D and I bands and a Kelvin Hughes 1007 navigation radar operating at I band. The ship is also fitted with a Global Positioning System (GPS). The ship's
electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
suite comprises the INS-3 radar interceptor and the TQN-2 radar jammer. Underwater sensors provided is the ASO 94-41 hull mounted active search and attack sonar supplied by Atlas Elektronik.


Armament

The Laksamana class is armed with the
MBDA MBDA is a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles.MBDA Inc. US Division Co ...
Otomat Mark 2/Teseo long-range sea-skimming missile with six missile launchers installed on the stern deck, three pointing to port and three pointing starboard. The missiles are armed with a high-explosive
warhead A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *Explos ...
, fitted with impact and
proximity fuses A proximity fuze (or fuse) is a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when the distance to the target becomes smaller than a predetermined value. Proximity fuzes are designed for targets such as planes, missiles, ships at sea, ...
. The speed of the missile is
Mach Mach may refer to Mach number, the speed of sound in local conditions. It may also refer to: Computing * Mach (kernel), an operating systems kernel technology * ATI Mach, a 2D GPU chip by ATI * GNU Mach, the microkernel upon which GNU Hurd is bas ...
0.9 and the range is . A medium-range air defence is provided with the semi-active radar homing
MBDA MBDA is a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles.MBDA Inc. US Division Co ...
Albatros SAM system, providing defence against aircraft and incoming anti-ship missiles. The Albatros system fires the Mach 2.5 Aspide missile over a range to deliver a warhead. The Laksamanas are also armed with two triple Whitehead Alenia ILAS-3
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
launchers installed one each side on the main deck, firing the A244/S anti-submarine torpedoes that use the active, passive and mixed mode homing to a target range of . The class is armed with a 62 calibre
Oto Melara OTO Melara was a subsidiary of the Italian company Finmeccanica, today Leonardo, active in the defence sector, with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. The Mod 56 pack howitzer, in service throughout the world, and the 76mm naval gun, ...
Super Rapid gun is installed on the bow deck in front of the citadel. The firing rate is 120 rounds per minute and range is up to . The ships are also armed with the Oto Melara L70 twin gun in the multi-role mode over a range of and firing rate of 300 rounds/minute. A decoy launcher is installed on both the port and starboard side of the ship. Each launcher has six launch tubes and is capable of firing illuminating rounds or chaff rounds to counter hostile radars and radar guided missiles.


Propulsion system

The ships are powered by four MTU 20V 956 TB 92 diesel engines developing sustained power driving four shafts. Three diesel generators each yield 280 KVA. The engines provide a dash speed of , a maximum sustained speed of and an economical speed of . The range at is .


Upgrade and refurbished

The Royal Malaysian Navy has confirmed that all four ships will be upgrade or refurbished to extend their service. The upgrade includes missile launchers, sensors, combat management system, fire control radar, IFF and chaff. As of 2022, the upgraded and refurbished program done for the first ship KD ''Laksamana Muhammad Amin''. The upgrade however doesn't includes the installation of new weapons to replace the obsoleted missiles and torpedoes.


Similar class

The four s built for
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...
are a similar design to the Laksamana class.


Ships of the class


Gallery

File:Laksamana-class corvette Hang Nadim.jpg, KD ''Laksamana Hang Nadim'' (F134) in Langkawi, 2023. File:KD Laksamana Hang Nadim.jpg, KD ''Laksamana Hang Nadim'' (F134). File:KD Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil dan Laksamana Muhammad Amin.jpg, KD '' Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil'' (F135). File:Sandakan Sabah Laksamana-Muhammad-Amin-01.jpg, KD ''Laksamana Muhammad Amin (F136) in
Sandakan Sandakan (, Jawi script, Jawi: , ) formerly known at various times as Elopura, is the capital of the Sandakan District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu. It is located on the Sandakan Peninsula and e ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laksamana-class corvette Corvette classes Ships built by Fincantieri