Malaysia eyes Italy, France, US among options after Norway cancels NSM missile deal, says defence minister

KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Malaysia is reviewing several missile manufacturers as alternatives after it failed to secure deliveries of the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) following Norway’s cancellation of the export licence for the weapons system.

According to Berita Harian, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said companies under consideration include those from Italy, France, Turkiye, South Korea, the United States and Japan.

He said the government would first assess availability to avoid long delivery delays, noting that new orders could take up to four or five years to be completed.

“These missiles need to be ordered in advance, but the issue is that new production takes time. The US may already be producing for its own ships, and Italy may also be doing the same, so if there is availability, we want to secure it earlier,” he said.

He added that vessels expected to be delivered in December would be equipped with a surface-to-surface missile system capable of striking targets up to 300km away.

Mohamed Khaled, who is also Kota Tinggi MP, said the ministry would also evaluate system integration and pricing before making a final decision.

Meanwhile, he said legal action and compensation claims against the Norwegian company over breach of contract would continue.

“(Norway apologised) Apologies are fine, but we will proceed with the claim. The lawsuit will continue against the company. If Norway truly wants to maintain friendship with Malaysia, they can assist and prioritise the compensation, which exceeds RM1 billion.

“The missile system cost more than RM600 million, and there are additional costs including training and system integration. So the question is who will bear the losses caused by this failure,” he said.

Norway had earlier revoked the export licence for the NSM anti-ship missile system and its related launchers to Malaysia, citing national security concerns.

The procurement agreement between the Royal Malaysian Navy and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) was signed in April 2018, valued at €124 million (RM571.9 million), to equip six new Littoral Combat Ships.

Following the cancellation, Malaysia has issued a compensation claim exceeding RM1 billion and is awaiting a response from the Norwegian government.

المصدر: Malay Mail