KOTA KINABALU, July 27 — Malaysia’s first submarine, the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman today proved its capability when it successfully conducted the firing of an Exocet SM39 Block 2 missile. 

Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar in a statement said the missile hit its 40-metre long surface target located 22 nautical miles (40km) away.

He said it was fired from a depth of 55 metres, a range that was difficult for anti-submarine ships to adopt counter measures against submarines.

According to him, the test firing of the missile was part of contractual activities in the submarine’s tropical operations.

He said the test firing of the Exocet SM39 Blok 2 missile, which was launched at exactly 10.15am in the South China Sea, was proof of RMN’s capabilities and the submarine’s capability to launch an attack from below the sea surface.

Abdul Aziz, who also witnessed the test, said it was also aimed at confirming the effectiveness of the Exocet SM39 Blok 2 and the capability of the submarine’s weapons system or better know as SUBTICS KD TAR in a tropical climate.

He said the Exocet SM39 Block 2, sourced from France in 2008, was a  below sea-to-surface missile weighing 2,100kg and six metres long with a diameter of 35cm. — Bernama