Second Vessel of Malaysia’s LMS Batch II Project Launched Just Two Weeks After the First
STM, Türkiye’s leading naval engineering company, has launched RAJA LAUT, the second vessel of the three-corvette project being built for the Royal Malaysian Navy, during a ceremony held in Istanbul. Following the launch of the first vessel just two weeks ago, the project continues at an impressive pace, with the third ship scheduled to be launched in August.
STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş., a pioneer in the Turkish defence industry, has completed another critical phase in its naval export projects. Under STM’s main contractor role, the second of three corvettes being built for the Royal Malaysian Navy under the LMS Batch-2 (Littoral Mission Ship Batch-2) program was launched on June 7, 2026, at the Istanbul Shipyard.
The ceremony was attended by His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Sultan of Selangor; Her Royal Highness, Hajah Norashikin, the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor, Malaysian Deputy Minister of Defence Haji Adly bin Zahari; Deputy Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries and Chairman of the Board of STM Prof. Dr. İhsan Kaya, Deputy Secretary of Turkish Defence Industries Mustafa Murat Şeker; Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy Admiral Tan Sri Zulhelmy bin Ithnain; Özgür Güleryüz, General Manager of STM; as well as military delegations from both nations and representatives from defence industry companies.
Güleryüz: “Two Launches in Two Weeks”
Speaking at the ceremony, STM General Manager Özgür Güleryüz highlighted the strategic cooperation between the two countries and the project’s exceptional construction pace:
“In this landmark project, which represents the first Government-to-Government (G2G) defence procurement agreement between Türkiye and Malaysia and Türkiye’s first corvette export to the Asia-Pacific region, we launched the first vessel, TUNKU LAKSAMANA ABDUL JALIL, just two weeks ago. Today, the launch of RAJA LAUT, the second vessel of the project, is a tangible demonstration of STM’s engineering capability and execution speed. Maintaining this momentum, we aim to launch the third vessel in August and deliver all three platforms to the Royal Malaysian Navy within 2027.”
The Origin of the Vessels’ Names
The vessels built under the scope of the project are named after prominent figures in Malaysian history. The first ship was named after « TUNKU LAKSAMANA ABDUL JALIL, » the late son of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, who passed away in 2015 and was the first prince to hold the title of ‘Prince Admiral’. The second vessel, launched today, is named « RAJA LAUT, » a historical figure who played a significant role in the administration of Selangor and the structuring of regional maritime trade during the 19th century.
STM LMS Batch-2 Ship Specifications
The Signing Ceremony for the G2G Memorandum of Understanding on the Procurement of Defense Products between Türkiye and Malaysia, along with the Handover Ceremony for the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for the LMS Batch-2 Project for the Royal Malaysian Navy, was held in Ankara on June 10, 2024. Following the steel cutting ceremony held in Istanbul on December 4, 2024, the project moved forward rapidly with the keel laying ceremony for the corvettes, which took place on April 8, 2025. The first vessel of the project was launched during a ceremony held on 24 May 2026.
STM, as main contractor, is responsible for all phases of the project, starting from design to the performance, and from construction to delivery. STM undertakes the ship design, project management (including construction management), material/system procurements, integration design and assembly, testing and Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) activities, as well as the preparation of the design and ILS documents related to the Project.
The three corvettes, the design of which has been tailored by STM to meet the requirements of the Royal Malaysian Navy, will be constructed in Türkiye within the scope of the Littoral Mission Ship Batch-2 (LMSB2) Project.
STM Littoral Mission Ship (LMSB2) is a highly flexible and proven platform that complies with modern naval norms, standards and classification society rules. The capabilities of similar combat platforms produced by STM in terms of safety, performance, reliability and ease of maintenance have been tested, and have proven themselves during operations in the open and coastal seas, and under heavy sea conditions.
LMSs can be tasked with a wide range of duties including ASUW, AAW, Asymmetric Warfare (ASYW) and EW, drawing upon the capabilities of the most advanced Sensors & Weapons Suite and Command & Control System.
The construction and outfitting of the ships will be carried out in Türkiye with the intensive involvement of Turkish defence industry companies. STM, in its role as main contractor, has turned to the Turkish defence sector for equipment such as the Combat Management System; the Gun Fire Control System, to be supplied by HAVELSAN; and the 3D Search Radar, Fire Control Radar, IFF, 30mm Gun, ESM and Chaff Decoy System, as well as other electronic sensors, to be supplied by ASELSAN. ROKETSAN will be supplying its ATMACA Surface-to-Surface G/M System.