Lumut Naval Shipyard Awarded Royal Malaysian Navy Contract to Refit Lekiu-class Frigate KD Jebat

Lumut Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (LUNAS) has been awarded a contract to refit the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessel KD Jebat as part of the ongoing refit programme for RMN vessels. The Letter of Acceptance (LOA) was signed and announced on the third day of Defence Services Asia (DSA) Exhibition & Conference 2024 and National Security (NATSEC) Asia 2024. Ir. Azhar Jumaat, CEO of LUNAS, signed the LOA on behalf of the company. Representing the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) was Secretary General Datuk Seri Isham Ishak. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. LUNAS expressed its commitment to delivering excellence in the project, upholding its reputation within the maritime and defense industries.

KD Jebat is a Lekiu-class guided missile frigate currently serving in the Royal Malaysian Navy and one of the major naval assets for Malaysia. Jebat serves in the 23rd Frigate Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The ship’s class, built by Yarrow Shipbuilders (now BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions) in Glasgow, United Kingdom, is based on the F2000 frigate design. Jebat was launched in May 1995 and commissioned in May 1999. Jebat carries the lower pennant number (FFG29) to signify the seniority of this ship, which accommodates the Admiral of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Hang Jebat succeeded Hang Tuah as Laksamana (Admiral) of the Malacca Sultanate, while Hang Lekiu was never made a Laksamana.

The ship was a huge jump in capability compared to the frigates then operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy, KD Rahmat (F24) and KD Hang Tuah (F76) (ex-HMS Mermaid). As for the weapon systems, Jebat equipped with one Bofors 57 mm gun and two MSI DS30M 30 mm cannon. For the missiles, there was 16 Sea Wolf surface-to-air missile for air defence and 8 MM40 Exocet block 2 anti-ship missile for anti surface warfare. Two triple Eurotorp B515 with A244-S ASW torpedoes also installed for anti submarine warfare. The purchase of this ship also involved a major Transfer of Technology (ToT) program as well as an offset program where some portion of the contract value would involve purchases and services contracted to Malaysian companies.

Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) is a shipbuilding company owned by Malaysia. In 2005, this company to be taken over by Boustead Holdings and named as Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS). In 2024, BNS was fully taken over by the Government through the Ministry of Finance’s company Ocean Sunshine Sdn Bhd and rebranded as Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS). The main business of LUNAS is the maintenance and manufacturing of ships as well as the construction of heavy engineering structures and offshore structures. This company is located in Lumut, Perak which is one of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) bases and has several other shipyards throughout Malaysia. This company operated in 1984 and was known as the Royal Malaysia Navy Dockyard.