Malaysia held a naming and launching ceremony for the Royal Malaysian Navy's first Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2) vessel on May 24, 2026, at an Istanbul shipyard in Turkiye [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, officiated the event and said, "To have this ship named after Jalil means a lot to our family… it is a tribute which we appreciate very much." [2]
The new vessel was named Tunku Laksamana Abdul Jalil in honor of the late Tunku Abdul Jalil, the fourth child of Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah [1, 2, 6, 3, 4, 5]. He was the first member of the Johor royal family in modern times to hold the title "Laksamana" or Admiral, a supreme naval commander responsible for defending Malaysia’s maritime sovereignty [1, 2, 6, 3]. The ship bears his legacy of courage, resilience, and charitable work through the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation, which is reflected in the vessel's slogan, "Fight Like Jalil." [1, 6, 3, 4, 5]
The naming ceremony followed tradition by pouring zam zam water blessed with surah Yasin on the ship's bow [1, 2, 3]. The LMSB2 program is a government-to-government collaboration between Malaysia and Turkiye. The ships are built in Turkiye based on the Turkish Ada-class corvette design [2, 6, 4, 5]. The first vessel measures about 99.56 meters long and 14.42 meters wide, designed for multi-dimensional naval operations [2].
Malaysia contracted three LMSB2 vessels in June 2024, with deliveries expected by the end of 2027 [6, 4, 5]. The contract value is approximately 536.5 million euros (RM2.5 billion) [4]. The Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin emphasized the importance of Malaysia-Turkiye defence cooperation, technology transfer, and local industry development, calling the program "a testament to the deep trust between our two nations." [6, 7, 5]
Turkiye defence firms involved in the program include Savunma Teknolojileri Muhendislik (STM), Havelsan (providing the Combat Management System), and Otokar for armored vehicle collaboration [6, 7, 5]. The Defence Minister highlighted that construction has proceeded without complications, unlike previous warship projects, and he expressed confidence all three vessels will be delivered successfully by the end of 2027. [6, 4]
Malaysia currently operates four littoral mission ships and aims to eventually reach a fleet of 18 under its 15-to-5 Transformation Plan, adding these three new LMSB2 vessels to bring the fleet to seven, with 11 more planned [4]. Malaysia is also pursuing technology transfer to enable local construction of future batches, possibly building the third batch domestically in cooperation with Turkiye [4, 5].
Following the launch, the second LMSB2 vessel is scheduled for launch in June 2026 and the third in August 2026. All three ships are expected to be delivered by December 31, 2027. [6, 4]
