 KDLaksamana Muhammad Amin (F136) duringCooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Laksamana class |
| Builders | Fincantieri, Marghera Shipyard |
| Operators |  Royal Malaysian Navy |
| Succeeded by | Kasturi class |
| Subclasses | Assad class |
| Built | 1982-1988 |
| In commission | 1997-present |
| Completed | 4 |
| Active | 2 |
| Retired | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Corvette |
| Displacement | 675 tons full load |
| Length | 62.3 m (204 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h) |
| Range | 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 56 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Notes | The missile might be removed due to being obsolete[1] |
TheLaksamana class is a class of smallmissilecorvettes comprising four ships currently in service with theRoyal Malaysian Navy. Two out of four ships of the Laksamana class are currently serving in the 24th Corvette Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy, while the remaining two were decommissioned on 5 June 2025, with plans to preserve one of the decommissioned ships as a monument in Dataran Pahlawan, Putrajaya still underway.[2][3]
The Laksamana-class corvettes were originally purchased by theIraqi Navy as theAssad-class corvettes, their delivery was delayed and later cancelled because ofinternational sanctions against Iraq following theinvasion of Kuwait by Iraq. It is based on the Fincantieri Type 550 corvette design.
In October 1995, the MalaysianMinistry of Finance signed a contract with Italian companyFincantieri for the supply of two 675-ton missile corvettes for the Royal Malaysian Navy. Two more missile corvettes were ordered in February 1997. Some specific aspects of the ships' design were modified and the ships were refitted to meet the requirements of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
The first two ships, named KDLaksamana Hang Nadim and KDLaksamana Tun Abdul Jamil, were commissioned in July 1997. The second two, named KDLaksamana Muhammad Amin and KDLaksamana Tan Pusmah, were delivered in July 1999.
The ships are all named after famous Malay warriors who have earned the titleLaksamana during their lifetimes. ("Laksamana" would translate as anadmiral in modern usage, but in the Malay Sultanates, the title would be more a minister of the realm (a warrior) who is responsible for defense of the realm. The Laksamana is the second most senior position the Malay court, lower only than theBendahara).
The ship's radar suite consists of a RAN 12L/X air and surface search radar, operating in D and I bands and aKelvin Hughes 1007 navigation radar operating at I band. The ship is also fitted with aGlobal Positioning System (GPS).
The ship'selectronic warfare suite comprises the INS-3 radar interceptor and the TQN-2 radar jammer.
Underwater sensors provided is the ASO 94-41 hull mounted active search and attack sonar supplied byAtlas Elektronik.
The Laksamana class is armed with theMBDAOtomat Mark 2/Teseo long-rangesea-skimming missile with six missile launchers installed on the stern deck, three pointing to port and three pointing starboard. The missiles are armed with a 210 kg (460 lb)high-explosivewarhead, fitted with impact andproximity fuses. The speed of the missile isMach 0.9 and the range is 120 km (75 mi).
A medium-range air defence is provided with thesemi-active radar homingMBDA Albatros SAM system, providing defence against aircraft and incoming anti-ship missiles. The Albatros system fires the Mach 2.5 Aspide missile over a 15 km (9.3 mi) range to deliver a 33 kg (73 lb) warhead.
The Laksamanas are also armed with two tripleWhitehead Alenia ILAS-3torpedo launchers installed one each side on the main deck, firing the A244/Santi-submarine torpedoes that use the active, passive and mixed mode homing to a target range of 7 km (4.3 mi).
The class is armed with a 76 mm (3 in) 62 calibreOto MelaraSuper Rapid gun is installed on the bow deck in front of the citadel. The firing rate is 120 rounds per minute and range is up to 16 km (9.9 mi). The ships are also armed with the 40 mm (1.6 in) Oto MelaraL70 twin gun in the multi-role mode over a range of 12.5 km (7.8 mi) and firing rate of 300 rounds/minute.
A 105 mm (4 in) decoy launcher is installed on both the port and starboard side of the ship. Each launcher has six launch tubes and is capable of firing illuminating rounds or chaff rounds to counter hostile radars and radar guided missiles.
The ships are powered by four MTU 20V 956 TB 92 diesel engines developing 14.8 MW (19,800 hp) sustained power driving four shafts. Three diesel generators each yield 280 KVA. The engines provide a dash speed of 36knots (67 km/h), a maximum sustained speed of 34 knots (63 km/h) and an economical speed of 18 knots (33 km/h). The range at 18 knots (33 km/h) is 2,300nautical miles (4,300 km).[4][5]
The Royal Malaysian Navy has confirmed that all four ships will be upgrade or refurbished to extend their service. The upgrade includes missile launchers, sensors, combat management system, fire control radar, IFF and chaff.[6][7] As of 2022, the upgraded and refurbished program done for the first ship KDLaksamana Muhammad Amin. The upgrade however doesn't includes the installation of new weapons to replace the obsoleted missiles and torpedoes.[8]
The fourAssad-class corvettes built forLibya are a similar design to the Laksamana-class corvettes.
| Pennant | Name | Builders | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F134 | Laksamana Hang Nadim | Fincantieri, Marghera Shipyard | 5 July 1983 | 28 July 1997 | In service with the 24th Corvette Squadron | Launched asKhalid ibn al Walid (F216) intended forIraqi Navy but were never delivered due to arms embargo imposed after theGulf War in 1991 |
| F135 | Laksamana Tun Abdul Jamil | Fincantieri, Marghera Shipyard | 30 December 1983 | 28 July 1997 | Decommissioned 5 June 2025 | Launched asSaad ibn abi Wakkas (F218) intended forIraqi Navy but were never delivered due to arms embargo imposed after theGulf War in 1991. |
| F136 | Laksamana Muhammad Amin | Fincantieri, Marghera Shipyard | 5 July 1983 | July 1999 | In service with the 24th Corvette Squadron | Launched asAbdullah ibn Abi Serh (F214) intended forIraqi Navy but were never delivered due to arms embargo imposed after theGulf War in 1991 |
| F137 | Laksamana Tan Pusmah | Fincantieri, Marghera Shipyard | 30 March 1984 | July 1999 | Decommissioned 5 June 2025 | Launched asSalah Aldin Ayoobi (F220) intended forIraqi Navy but were never delivered due to arms embargo imposed after theGulf War in 1991. |
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| Training ships |
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