Non-Subscriber Extract
Malaysia nears order for two Jebat-class frigates
18 May 2007
BAE Systems is close to signing a contract to build two more Jebat-class frigates for the Royal Malaysian Navy.
The batch two ships will follow on from the original pair, KD Jebat and KD Lekiu, which were built by Yarrow shipbuilders in Glasgow, Scotland, and handed over to Malaysia in late 1999.
Construction of the new vessels is likely to be shared between the Yarrow yard, which is now owned by BAE Systems, and Labuan Shipyard and Engineering, which has a facility on Labuan Island off the west coast of Sabah state.
Malaysia has traditionally purchased its warships from foreign yards but is now seeking to develop an indigenous shipbuilding capacity. A letter of intent was signed in June 2006 between the parties involved in the Jebat programme.