LIMA'25: KD Lekiu, KM Tun Fatimah Remain The Pulse Of The Country's Maritime Defence

By Nur Syahidayah Mahasan

LANGKAWI, May 23 (Bernama) -- In the face of increasingly complex and challenging maritime threats to nations, the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) KD Lekiu and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s (MMEA), KM Tun Fatimah remain steadfast in sailing the seas to protect the maritime borders of the country.

Despite their different roles and specifications, these two national defence assets still share a common mission, which is to be the backbone of ensuring the security and sovereignty of the country's waters from external threats, as well as monitoring the country's waters.

KD Lekiu, with its high combat capabilities, functions as the country's primary defence fortress in the open sea while KM Tun Fatimah strengthens the enforcement of maritime laws and surveillance in coastal areas and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the coast according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Describing KD Lekiu as the country's number one warship, its Commanding Officer Captain Mahamad Nazer Darus described the country's warship's ability to conduct four-dimensional warfare.

"First, subsurface (underwater) warfare where we counter, repel and also search and destroy submarines. Second, surface warfare where we can engage in combat with other surface vessels.

"Thirdly, we are capable of repelling attacks from the air with anti-air missiles to destroy enemy aircraft and fourth, electronic warfare where we have electronic support measures and also electronic warfare to repel cyber attacks,” he said.

He said this during a media tour of KD Lekiu in conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025 (LIMA'25) at Resort World Langkawi here, which was also opened for the public starting today.

Even more amazingly, the 26-year-old KD Lekiu once sailed on a 100-day voyage from Lumut to Hawaii, then back to Lumut covering a distance of 12,730 nautical miles and carrying out various exercises including firing missiles at real ship targets.

The voyage was led by Capt Mahamad Nazir during the historic participation in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 Exercise, the world's largest multinational maritime exercise held at Joint Base Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

KD Lekiu's gallantry has been even more evident under the leadership of Mahamad Nazir since Dec 2023 when the frigate was crowned the Agong's Cup Winner in conjunction with 91st RMN Day celebration in 2025 and the recognition was bestowed upon the ship's success and excellence in operations throughout the year.

The responsibility of defending Malaysian waters is also shared by the MMEA's first offshore patrol vessel (OPV), KM Tun Fatimah, which is named after the ancient queen of Melaka in days of yore, who was famous for her courage and leadership.

Deputy director-general (Operations) of MMEA, Rear Admiral (Maritime) Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said the 83-metre-long and 13.7-metre-wide ship, nicknamed 'Srikandi Lautan' (Ocean Warrior), can reach a maximum speed of 21 knots and keep operating at sea for 21 days without needing to replenish supplies.

Built based on the Damen 1800 design, Mohd Zawawi said the KM Tun Fatimah is also equipped with a Aselsan SMASH 30 mm cannon, light weapons such as 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns, a helicopter landing pad and a detention room.

“This ship has the ability to operate medium-sized helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), two Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and a Fast Interceptor Craft, (it is also fitted with) X and S Band radars for wide-area patrols.

This national defence asset also acts as a mothership for MMEA patrol boats tasked with patrolling and surveillance of the country's waters, particularly in the South China Sea which has seen quite frequent maritime disputes, said Mohd Zawawi.

“The deployment of KM Tun Fatimah in strategic areas such as Beting Patinggi Ali (a resource-rich shoal off the coast of Sarawak) is intended to address border security issues in the country's waters involving the presence of Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and Chinese research ships in Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

“This foreign presence (notably China's Nine-Dash Line which claims almost the entire South China Sea) has raised ongoing concerns about Malaysia's maritime sovereignty (and assertiveness) and security of the country's natural resources, in addition to curbing the encroachment of foreign fishing boats from (countries like) Indonesia and Myanmar,” he said.

-- BERNAMA