KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Defence Ministry said it will discuss with Norway a shift in Oslo’s position regarding defence export approvals that has halted the supply of missiles intended for its naval combat ships, in the latest blow to the project.
In a statement on Thursday (May 7), Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin confirmed that the ministry holds a procurement contract with Norwegian defence firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS for the supply of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) guided missiles which are used to equip the country’s littoral combat ships (LCS).
The Norwegian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Malaysia’s LCS project, awarded in 2011 for six vessels at an initial cost of RM6 billion (US$1.53 billion), has been dogged by serious mismanagement problems where the cost has ballooned over the years while the ships remained undelivered.
