In an era where Southeast Asia’s contested waters are increasingly becoming a theatre for great-power rivalry, Malaysia has taken a significant step forward in bolstering its maritime security posture with the launch and naming ceremony of its second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
The auspicious ceremony was officiated by the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, who poured water blessed with the recitation of Surah Yasin from nine mosques — symbolising Selangor’s nine districts — onto the bow of the vessel, underscoring a deeply rooted naval tradition that binds faith, heritage and modern maritime ambition.
His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, further lent gravitas to the event at the Lumut Naval Base, a site now evolving into a strategic hub for Malaysia’s indigenous naval construction capability.
The newly named vessel, ‘Raja Muda Nala’, pays homage to one of Selangor’s legendary warriors, a symbolic choice that Defence Ministry officials believe captures the spirit of resilience and unwavering courage that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) seeks to embody in an increasingly complex maritime environment.
Speaking on behalf of Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari reaffirmed that the name Raja Muda Nala represents a timeless spirit of defiance, drawing from the warrior’s historical struggle against Dutch colonial forces that once sought to control Selangor’s strategic coastline.
“In this context, the valour, struggle and bravery of Raja Muda Nala are seen as highly fitting and aligned with the capabilities of the Navy’s LCS, which is designed to face a wide range of threats in modern warfare,” Adly declared, highlighting the vessel’s multi-mission capabilities, from anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare to electronic warfare and network-centric operations.
The Raja Muda Nala’s launch comes at a time when Malaysia’s defence establishment is under renewed scrutiny to deliver long-delayed assets essential for safeguarding its maritime domain, particularly as tensions simmer in the South China Sea.
These multi-role frigate-class combatants — each with an estimated cost of over USD 450 million (approximately RM2.12 billion) per unit — are widely viewed as the technological spearhead for the RMN’s 15-to-5 Transformation Programme, an ambitious roadmap to rationalise fleet composition and enhance readiness in the face of potential grey-zone threats and full-spectrum maritime conflict scenarios.
Significantly, Adly noted that LCS 2 stands as a potent symbol of national pride, marking the first frigate-class combatant to be fully constructed by a domestic player — Lumut Naval Shipyard — a milestone that not only reinforces local shipbuilding competencies but also signals Malaysia’s intent to nurture a sustainable defence industrial base.
“The construction of this ship began with the keel-laying ceremony on February 28, 2017. This achievement indirectly reflects the capabilities of local talents in realising the country’s aspirations to compete in the global heavy industry and defence sector,” Adly emphasised, acknowledging the significance of home-grown skills in building complex naval platforms that integrate advanced radar suites, vertical launch systems, and electronic countermeasure arrays.
From a geo-strategic lens, the LCS class is designed to address Malaysia’s acute need for credible surface combatants capable of conducting sustained littoral operations across the country’s sprawling Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which spans over 450,000 square kilometres — a maritime expanse frequently challenged by illegal fishing fleets and assertive Chinese coast guard patrols.
“The role of Lumut Naval Shipyard is also crucial in stimulating the growth of the national maritime industry, not only in defence but also in shipbuilding and repair, technology transfer and upskilling of local subcontractors,” Adly added, pointing to the broader economic spillover effects envisioned under the LCS programme.
The timeline of Malaysia’s LCS fleet has not been without controversy.
Originally, the programme, worth an estimated USD 2.1 billion (RM10 billion), envisioned all six Gowind-class frigates being delivered by 2023.
However, repeated delays, allegations of mismanagement, and funding shortfalls triggered significant setbacks, pushing the delivery schedule back by several years.
The first vessel, Maharaja Lela, achieved its milestone launch in May 2024 and is now in the critical Set-to-Work (STW) phase, with sea trials expected to commence by December 2025 — a crucial test that will validate combat systems integration and performance in operational conditions.
LCS 2, Raja Muda Nala, successfully completed its ‘downslip’ process on May 8 this year, marking the hull’s transition from dry dock to the water — a delicate manoeuvre that demands exacting engineering precision to ensure structural integrity.
As of May 25, the overall physical progress for all five contracted vessels stands at 72.43%, with Lumut Naval Shipyard under intense pressure to deliver on the revised timeline amid heightened public scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Lunas — the project contractor — underscored the significance of this latest milestone, posting on its official social media: “As Malaysia’s only shipyard with full capability to design and build guided missile warships, this ceremony marks another key milestone in the LCS Programme.”
“It demonstrates the nation’s commitment to strengthening maritime sovereignty through the development of high-tech naval assets.”
This emphasis on local shipbuilding is not merely symbolic.
It reflects Malaysia’s desire to reduce strategic dependence on foreign suppliers, enhance technology transfer arrangements, and cultivate a defence ecosystem capable of supporting maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations over the ships’ projected 30-year service lifespan.
Naval analysts view the Raja Muda Nala’s progress as crucial to Malaysia’s ability to project maritime power regionally, especially as neighbouring Indonesia advances its own naval modernisation plan and the Philippines pushes ahead with additional frigate procurements from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries.
China’s increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea further underscores the need for robust, multi-domain-ready surface combatants that can act as both deterrent and shield for Malaysia’s critical offshore resources and sea lines of communication.
Against this backdrop, the Littoral Combat Ship programme — despite its protracted controversies — remains the linchpin of Malaysia’s efforts to close capability gaps that have long plagued the RMN’s order of battle.
With the Raja Muda Nala poised to undergo rigorous outfitting, integration, and subsequent sea trials, stakeholders hope this second launch will restore confidence in the programme’s trajectory and demonstrate Malaysia’s resilience in delivering complex warships to its frontline fleet.
For Malaysia’s broader defence industry, the success of these vessels will be measured not only by their operational effectiveness but by the sustainability of the supply chain ecosystem they help anchor — from radar and combat management systems integration to weapons loading and future upgrades.
As Southeast Asia braces for an increasingly contested maritime domain where naval diplomacy and credible deterrence go hand in hand, the Raja Muda Nala’s emergence serves as a potent reminder that nations like Malaysia must balance tradition, technological edge, and industrial autonomy to secure their sovereignty in an age of strategic flux.