ement, anti illegal immigrants and human smuggling operations during the Movement Control Order (MCO) dubbed Ops Benteng.
KD Gagah Samudera, a Samudera class training ship was deployed to the Straits of Melaka to serve as mothership for various patrol boats operated by the coast guards as well as the Marine Police.
Similar to the coast guard, these smaller patrol boats will rely on the ship’s long range radar detection as well as inputs from the patrolling aircraft above.
Adopting mothership concept during Ops Benteng will provide deterrent to stop the entry of illegal immigrant into the country as there has been concern that these illegal immigrants were infected by the coronavirus from China and that they could cause a resurgence of infection at times when data is showing a steady decline in domestic infection cases.
The operation also shows the flexibility of Samudera class training ship built jointly by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and Malaysia’s NGV Tech. While their main role is for training of naval cadets, recruits and young naval officers, their systems on board allow them to perform patrol duties as Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV).
All of the ships of the cf lass are equipped with a single MSI DS30M 30mm cannon and two M2HB Browning 12.7mm machine gun. The design of the ships features “fitted for but not with” concept similar to the Kedah class New Generation Patrol Vessel (NGPV) allowing the future installation of missiles and torpedo such as RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile(RAM) Surface to Air Missile (SAM) ,Exocet MM40 Block 2 Anti Ship Missile (AShM) and triple torpedo launcher. For the aviation facilities, both ship are able to accommodate one medium size helicopter for anti surface (ASuW) and anti submarine Warfare (ASW).
The RMN had high hopes for the South Korean design ships. In 2014, DSME receives contract worth RM1. 2 billion to build 6 Missile Surface Corvette (MSC) for the RMN. Utilising similar design of the Samudera class training ships, the MSC would augment the Kasturi and Laksamana class corvettes as well as replacing the Fast Attack Craft (Missile) boats.
The MSC will be equipped with Hyundai Wia K76L/62 76mm naval gun, two MSI DS30M 30mm gun, 4 units of Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile (NSM), two S&T Motiv K6 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), torpedo launcher and Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) missile system.
Just like the Samudera class training ship, it has a heli deck that could receive a medium size helicopter. There are two cranes that could able to Deploy the ships’ Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB).
3 MSC will be built in South Korea while the rest will be built in Sijangkang, Selangor by NGV Tech. The first of the ship should be delivered to RMN by 2018.
NGV Tech was also supposedly build mini Dokdo class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) for the RMN but everything goes into disarray as NGV Tech enters into insolvency.
This caused significant delays of the completion and delivery into service of the two training ships.
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