The construction of the first Ada-class corvette (MILGEM project) for the Royal Malaysian Navy commenced with the ceremonial cutting of the first steel at the STM shipyard in Istanbul, which is expected to be fully completed by 2027.
This type of corvette was selected for the Littoral Mission Ship Batch-2 (LMSB2) program, which involves building three such vessels slightly modified to meet the requirements of the Malaysian Navy. It is worth noting that from 2017 to 2021, the country procured four Keris-class patrol vessels from China under the Littoral Mission Ship Batch-1 program.
It is important to mention that Ukraine has also chosen similar Ada-class corvettes. The first, "Hetman Ivan Mazepa," was launched on October 2, 2023, and the second, "Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky," is scheduled for August 1, 2024.
The LMSB2 will have a length of 99.56 meters, a displacement of approximately 2500 tons, and a crew of 111 personnel. Armament will include a single 76-mm universal artillery gun and 8 Atmaca anti-ship missiles. Additionally, the ship will be equipped with two STAMP combat modules featuring 12.7-mm machine guns, as well as one Smash module with a 30-mm automatic cannon from Aselsan.
Shipborne air defense will be provided by the Korean Haegung (K-SAAM) naval missile system from LIG Nex1, featuring 16 launch silos. It is capable of engaging targets at ranges of up to 20 km. The missile features a combined guidance system with active radar and infrared seekers. For close-in defense, it will utilize the 35-mm Gökdeniz CIWS artillery system from Aselsan.
Thus, in terms of combat capabilities, the Malaysian version is comparable to the Ukrainian one, with the exception of an additional 30-mm combat module and the Korean missile system. The Ukrainian variant is equipped with the French MICA VL system, which has a similar target engagement range but with 8 silos.
We should also recall the existence of the Pakistani variant of the Ada corvette, as well as the original Turkish version, which is armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles and the RIM-116 missile system.
Furthermore, Malaysia's choice is interesting given that the competitors to the Ada were the Korean HDC-2000 from Hyundai Heavy Industries and the Italian FCX15 from Fincantieri.
Both options offered similar capabilities and characteristics, so it is evident that factors such as cost, delivery timelines, configuration flexibility, and the fact that the Ada already has clients may have influenced the decision.