Realising a need to replace some of its aging patrol vessels, the RMN launched a project in the 1990s to construct a new generation of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs). Germany's Blohm + Voss (a subsidary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems) got the contract and based the Kedah class on its MEKO (MEhrzweck-KOmbination - mulitipurpose combination) concept.
The Type MEKO-100 RMN project was put into action with the signing of the contract for 6 vessels - the KD Kedah, the KD Pahang, the KD Perak, the KD Terengganu, the KD Kelantan and the KD Selangor. A further 21 more ships are in the works but are not confirmed yet.
The Kedah class OPV has 2 Caterpillar diesel engines chruning out 16,000 hp to variable-pitch propellers which can propel the vessel at over 22 knots. The ship is also designed to have low noise and radar detectability, and better heat dissipation via horizontal exhausts cooled with seawater. Provision is made for an Otobreda (formerly Oto Melara) 76 mm rapid-fire (85 rpm) main gun and a 30 mm Otobreda or Mauser short-range gun, as well as two 12.7 mm machine guns. There are also plans to equip the vessel with a RIM-116 (rolling airframe missile) antiaircraft weapon system. Much automation is also incorporated to run the ship's various electrical and engineering systems. Besides that, the ship has what one would term a 'Plug and Play' modular configuration with easy installation of components.
Production is undergoing at Penang's PSC Naval Dockyard with Blohm + Voss as a major subcontractor.
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4 comments:
Malaysia really need an aircraft carrier to defend its own big sea and to save its own people if something terrible like tsunami happening in Malaysia.
Undoubtedly it would be good for Malaysia to have its own aircraft carrier vessels, but we still don't have the financial and maintenance capability to get one. Besides, our neighbours would really protest against such a major escalation of force in Southeast Asia. To my knowledge no ship larger than a destroyer class exists in this region, let alone a cruiser or an aircraft carrier.
Thanks for the input.
Singapore and Thailand already have an Aircraft Carrier.
The Republic of Singapore Navy has no aircraft carriers, and its strongest surface combatant is the 'Formidable' class stealth frigate.
However, the Royal Thai Navy does have a dedicated aircraft carrier (sorry about that), the HTMS Chakri Narubet, but can only operate V/STOL aircraft. Also, its operational capability is said to be limited.
Malaysia's Malacca Straits and South China Sea can be considered to be rather big, but this area should be in range of any land-based aircraft, which nulls the need for an aircraft carrier.
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