KDLekiu (FFG30) and KDJebat (FFG29) withUSS George Washington
Class overview
Name	Lekiu class
Builders	Yarrow Shipbuilders,Glasgow,UK
Operators	Royal Malaysian Navy
Preceded by	KD Rahmat KD Hang Tuah (as a frigate)
Succeeded by	Maharaja Lela class
Completed	2
Active	2
General characteristics
Class & type	F2000frigate
Displacement	2,300 tons full load
Length	106 m (348 ft)
Beam	12.75 m (41.8 ft)
Draught	3.08 m (10.1 ft)
Propulsion	4 × MTU 20V 1163 TB93 diesel engines, 24.5MW, twin shafts withKamewa controllable pitch propellers
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range	5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi)
Complement	146 with 18 officers
Sensors & processing systems	Combat system:BAE Systems Insyte Nautis F combat data system Search radar:Ericsson Sea Giraffe-150 surface search radar G and H bands, Thales Netherlands (Signaal) DA-08 air search operating at E and F bands Navigation radar: Thales Defence I-band navigation radar Fire control radar: 2 × Marconi 1802SW, Alenia Marconi Systems Nautis F combat data system, Radamec Series 2000 Optronic weapon director, BAE SYSTEMS 1802 fire control radar operating at I and J bands Thermal imager: BAE Type V 3001 Sonar:Thales Underwater Systems Spherion TSM 2633 LF sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys	ESM: BAE Mentor-A ECM:Thales Defense Scimitar Decoy: 2 Super Barricade 12 barrelled launchers, Graseby Sea Siren torpedo decoy
Armament	Guns: 1 ×Bofors 57 mm gun 2 ×MSI DS30B 30 mm cannon Anti-air: 16 × VLS forSea Wolf (planned upgrade toK-SAAM) Anti-ship: 8 ×Exocet MM40 Block 2 (to be upgraded toNSM[1]) Anti-submarine: 2 × tripleEurotorp B515 withA244-S ASW torpedoes
Aircraft carried	1 ×Super Lynx 300
Aviation facilities	Stern hangar Helicopter landing platform

TheLekiu-class frigates are aclass offrigates of theRoyal Malaysian Navy. They are the largest and most modernsurface combatants of the Royal Malaysian Navy, until theMaharaja Lela-class frigates are completed. The class comprises two vessels,KD Jebat andKDLekiu. The class is named after the second ship of the class which was launched beforeJebat.

The two ships of the class are named after Hang Lekiu andHang Jebat, two figures from the Malay 15th-century epic narrativeHikayat Hang Tuah. They share this characteristic with the twoKasturi-classcorvettes,KDKasturi andKDLekir, as well as the old frigate-turned-training shipKD Hang Tuah, all of which are named after figures from the epic as well.

The ships were built in theUnited Kingdom byYarrow Shipbuilders ofGlasgow (nowBAE Systems Surface Ships) from the company's standard F2000 frigate design.Lekiu was launched in December 1994 while theJebat was launched in May 1995.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 succeededHang Tuah as Laksamana (Admiral) during theMelaka Sultanate, whileHang Lekiu was never made a Laksamana.)

The purchase of the two ships of theLekiu class involved a major transfer of technology programme and an offset programme where some portion of the contract value would involve purchases and services contracted to Malaysian companies.

Delivery and operational status were delayed due to integration of combat systems problems. The ships were commissioned in March and May 1999. The ships represented a huge jump in capability compared to the frigates then operated by the Royal Malaysian Navy,KD Rahmat andKD Hang Tuah (ex-HMSMermaid).

BothJebat andLekiu serve in the 23 Frigate Squadron of the Royal Malaysian Navy.^[2]

TheLekiu class faced serious delays due to difficulties in the systems integration of the weapons and weapons control system (i.e., software problems). These problems were overcome and the delivery and commissioning of the two ships was completed on 7 October and 10 November 1999.

Malaysian Minister of DefenceNajib Tun Razak announced at the 2006Farnborough Air Show that Malaysia would be buying two frigates from the United Kingdom under Project Brave.^[3] TheEvening Times reported on 20 July 2006 that the Clyde shipyard has won a contract to build twoLekiu class-frigates for Malaysia.^[4][5]

The two ships were to have been completed atLabuan Shipyard and Engineering as a condition of the deal but were cancelled in August 2009. In 2013, Malaysia announced the purchasing ofMaharaja Lela-class frigates and theLekiu class batch 2 is presumed to be cancelled.

A limited service life extension program started in 2015. Upgrades include Thales Vigile 100 Mk2 ESM replacing the BAE Mentor A, Chess Dynamics Sea Eagle FCEO replacing the BAE Type V 3001 andTerma Scanter 6000 navigation radar.^[6]

In January 2025, it is confirmed that Malaysia planned to upgradeLekiu class withNaval Strike Missile as its new anti-ship missile.^[7]

KDLekiu together withKDSri Inderapura involved in Ops Fajar 4 mission/Anti-piracy measures in Somalia by Royal Malaysian navy inGulf of Aden in 2008. Both ships were tasked to return two hijacked Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) shipping vessels MTBunga Melati Dua and MTBunga Melati Lima to Malaysia.^[8]

In 2013 KDJebat was involved in a naval blockade in2013 Lahad Datu standoff.

In 2014, KDLekiu involved in MH370's Search and Rescue Operation in the South Indian Ocean for several months.

In 2018, KDLekiu participated in the world's largest maritime exerciseRIMPAC.^[9]

• 
  KDJebat moored in Sydney Harbour in October 2013.
• 
  KDLekiu passes by theUS Navy submarineUSS La Jolla during a submarine warfare exercise atCARAT 2011.
• 
  KDJebat underway off the coast of Malaysia during a divisional tactics drill as part ofCooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Malaysia 2013.
• 
  A rigid-hull inflatable boat from theLCSUSS Freedom takes a visit, board, search and seizure team to the Malaysian frigate KDJebat during a compliant boarding exercise.
• 
  KDJebat enteringSydney harbour for the SydneyInternational Fleet Review 2013.
• 
  KDLekiu duringMilan 2018 exercise hosted byIndian Navy.
• 
  KDLekiu docked atRMN Lumut Naval Base at night.

• Nakhoda Ragam-classcorvette – Three other F2000-derived ships ordered for theRoyal Brunei Navy but purchased by theIndonesian Navy.
• List of naval ship classes in service

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLekiu class frigate.

• Lekiu Class, Malaysia(naval technology)
• photograph of KD LekiuArchived 24 July 2017 at theWayback Machine
• photograph of KD LekiuArchived 24 July 2017 at theWayback Machine
• photograph of the Jebat at Yarrow ShipbuildersArchived 24 July 2017 at theWayback Machine
• another photograph of the LekiuArchived 24 July 2017 at theWayback Machine
• navy rating manning the Nautis II Command systemArchived 24 July 2017 at theWayback Machine

• Frigate classes
• Lekiu-class frigates
• Frigates of Malaysia

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