KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 - Malaysia's first Scorpene submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman which left Toulon, France on January 24 will arrive here on July 25.
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the submarine would dock at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah naval base at Pulau Indah, Klang and received by Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.
He said the submarine would then set sail for the naval base at Lumut where the crew were based. "We will then make preparation for Lima 2009 in Langkawi before heading for the submarine base at Sepanggar just outside Kota Kinabalu, Sabah," he said after the launch of the RMN diamond jubilee logo by Malaysian Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal here today.
The RMN chief said the submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman would be fully operated by a Malaysian crew. "They are undergoing skills training to handle and operate the submarine for specific missions.
French naval officers will train our men on the technical aspect," he said. Scorpene is a conventional combat submarine that can operate in depths of 100-200 metres.
It is equipped with six missiles, anti-ship surface missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. The diesel and electric powered Scorpene can reach a speed of 20 knots and capable of carrying 10 torpedoes and 30 mines.
The Scorpene submarine was built in Cherbourg, France by Navantia of Spain and DCNS of France. - Bernama
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what we need is more surface ships for anti-piracy.