Malaysia turns to Turkish missiles after Norway's last-minute contract breach

Malaysia has decided to procure anti-ship cruise missiles from Turkey as an alternative after Norway cancelled the sale of Naval Strike Missiles to Malaysia.

According to Sin Chew Daily (《星洲日报》), Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said after a public event on Thursday (12 November) that the government had decided to buy missiles developed by Turkish defence company ROKETSAN after assessing the prices, delivery timelines and upfront costs it would have to bear under proposals from Turkey, France and Italy.

He added that the missiles have a range of 240 kilometres, and the authorities have assured Malaysia that they are compatible with the existing combat management systems on the Malaysian navy's Littoral Combat Ships. The missiles are expected to be delivered in 2028 at the earliest.

He said: “We will now engage with the Turkish side for further negotiations before making a final decision.”

On costs, Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the Malaysian government would not have to bear the full cost of procuring the new missiles, as some of the expenditure was already covered by the Littoral Combat Ships project contract. The government expects to pay only for launcher installation and system integration.

On Norway's breach of contract in unilaterally cancelling the sale of naval missiles to Malaysia, Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the Malaysian government was working to resolve the issue in accordance with the contract.

He said the first stage involved amicable negotiations, but initial talks had reached an impasse. The process had therefore entered the second stage: establishing a committee comprising representatives from both sides to resolve the dispute. “If no resolution can be reached at this stage, Malaysia will move to the third stage and initiate arbitration proceedings.”

The Malaysian navy signed a contract worth 124 million euros (about S$176.62 million) with Norwegian arms manufacturer Kongsberg in April 2018 to procure Naval Strike Missiles for six new Littoral Combat Ships.

The missiles were originally scheduled for delivery this year. However, citing national security and changes in the international security situation, the Norwegian government in May abruptly revoked the Norwegian supplier's licence to export Naval Strike Missile systems and launchers to Malaysia. This disrupted Malaysia's missile supply and raised the prospect of another delay in the delivery of the Littoral Combat Ships, whose construction has already been delayed several times.