Replacing the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system could take at least two years to complete, with the Armed Forces working to address a capability gap affecting the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), says Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Malek Razak Sulaiman.

He said the delay was a setback as commissioned navy ships currently lacked missile capability.

“The ships are ready and have been commissioned, but we lack the weapons or ammunition.

“That is a setback, so we have to facilitate and mitigate it,” he added.

Malek said the timeline would depend on the procurement process and available budget.

“It is a new process to look at, and it depends on the budget. As I said, it is a setback to our readiness for now,” he told reporters after launching the 18th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima 2027) today.

He said France, Turkiye, Italy and South Korea had been shortlisted as potential suppliers for the replacement system following operational and technical evaluations by the RMN and the Defence Ministry.

“Those are the four countries shortlisted based on operational and technical evaluations by the Navy and the ministry,” he said.

However, Malek said no final decision had been made as the procurement tender process had yet to begin.

Yesterday, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Malaysia would begin its first round of negotiations with Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) in mid-August to seek an amicable settlement over the cancellation of the NSM export licence.

He said that Malaysia could face a lengthy legal process if the negotiations failed.