The Royal Malaysian Navy’s second Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) was officially named Raja Muda Nala and launched on July 3 during ceremony at Lumut Naval Shipyard.
Raja Muda Nala (pennant 2502) was officially named by the frigate’s Royal Sponsor, Queen Consort of Selangor Tengku Permaisuri Hajah Norashikin, who also broke a container of water blessed by the Imam of the Selangor State Mosque against the frigate’s bow. She was accompanied by her husband Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor, the Captain-in-Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy.
Other senior officials present at the ceremony included Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar, Navy Chief Admiral Tan Sri Dr Zulhelmy Ithnain, Air Force Chief General Datuk Muhamad Norazlan Aris and Lumut Naval Shipyard chief executive officer Ir. Azhar Jumaat.
In a speech delivered on behalf of Defence Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, Adly said the naming of Raja Muda Nala honored the determination, courage and fighting spirit shown by the eldest son of the first Sultan of Selangor against Dutch efforts to control what is now the modern state of Selangor. Adly said the spirit of the naming was aligned with the Littoral Combat Ship’s capabilities to face a wide range of modern threats.
Adly continued that Raja Muda Nala was the first frigate to be wholly built in Malaysia, saying that the progress made “indirectly” reflected the ability of Malaysia’s heavy industry and defense industry to compete on a global level. According to Adly, shipbuilders Lumut Naval Shipyard play a crucial role in the growth of Malaysia’s maritime industry through facilitating technology transfer and upskilling of subcontractors in addition to its work building, repairing, and overhauling ships.
In a separate statement issued following the ceremony, the office of the Sultan of Selangor said the naming continued the warrior heritage of the Selangor royal family, and strengthened the spirit of patriotism driving Malaysia’s maritime defense.
Raja Muda Nala had been “downslipped” on May 8 ahead of the frigate’s official launch, with fitting out to continue ahead of the planned start of harbor trials later this month. Sea trials are expected to begin in June 2026, with delivery to the Royal Malaysian Navy scheduled for April 2027.
As the second Littoral Combat Ship, Raja Muda Nala is identically configured to lead ship Maharaja Lela, with those specifications being:
KD Maharaja Lela (2501) main specifications
- Displacement: 3,100 tons full load
- Length: 111 m (364 ft 2 in)
- Beam: 16 m (52 ft 6 in)
- Draught: 3.85 m (12 ft 8 in)
- Propulsion: CODAD
- Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h)
- Range: 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
- Complement: 138 sailors
Weapon systems:
- Main gun: 1 × Bofors 57 mm gun
- Secondary gun: 2 × MSI DS30M 30 mm cannon
- SAM: N/A
- ASM: 8 × Naval Strike Missile SSM
- Torpedo: 2 × triple SEA torpedo launcher
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