KD Jerong, the first ship of the four class Fast Attack Craft (FAC) has completed its refit, the Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia) announced on April 11. The ship is ship to complete a modernization program involving the propulsion system. The “refitting” project include the installation of new main engines, propellors, generators gearboxes and shafts, was conducted as part of a routine refit for the Jerong at the Weldan Marine Services Sdn Bhd yard in Sandakan, Sabah.
Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) is looking to enhance the combat capabilities of 14 fast attack craft (FACs) that have been in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) since the 1970s. the ships to be upgraded are namely the Handalan (SPICA-M), and the Perdana (La Combattante II) classes, each with four vessels in service, and the Jerong class, which has a current strength of six. In late 2020 Royal Malaysian Navy confirmed that this class of ship will be upgrade to lengthening service period of older ships.
The Jerung-class (Pennant number 3505) is a class of fast attack craft in service with the Royal Malaysian Navy. This class is based on the same design as the Lurssen FPB/TNC-45 fast attack craft and are built by Hong-Leong Lurssen Shipyards. The TNC 45 is a class of missile boats designed and built by Lurssen Shipyard in Germany to operate in the littoral environment. Lurssen delivered 25 boats to several Navies worldwide in the 1970s and 1980s. This class is based on the same design as Ahmed Al Fateh (Bahrain), Al Sanbouk (Kuwait), Baniyas (UAE) and Intrepida (Argentina).
The Jerong class is equipped only with Bofors 57 mm gun and Bofors 40 mm gun for close-in combat and fire support, unlike other fast attack crafts in Malaysian service which are armed with anti-ship missiles. Peacetime duties include patrol of the exclusive economic zone, interception of illegal immigrants and anti-piracy operations. They are too small and under-armed for use in conventional warfare or in open waters.
