DSA 2026: Malaysia to procure K-SAAM for LMS Batch 2

A model of the K-SAAM on display at Defense & Security 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Malaysia has become the first export customer of the weapon. (Janes/Jon Grevatt)

Malaysia has signed a contract with South Korea's LIG Defense & Aerospace (formerly LIG Nex1) for the Korean surface‑to‑air missile system (K-SAAM).

The USD94 million contract was signed at the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2026 exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on 22 April, according to a media release issued by LIG Defense & Aerospace on the same day.

According to the statement, the missiles will be installed on vessels currently under construction in Türkiye, referring to the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN's) three-ship Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) Batch 2 programme. Malaysia and Türkiye's STM signed the shipbuilding contract for the programme in June 2024.

K‑SAAM is a naval point‑defence missile designed to counter incoming anti‑ship missiles and aircraft. It uses a dual‑mode seeker combining radio frequency and infrared guidance.

Development of the weapon was led by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development (ADD), with LIG Defense & Aerospace acting as prime contractor. With the deal, Malaysia becomes the first K-SAAM export customer.

Construction of the LMS Batch 2 vessels is under way at Istanbul Shipyard, where the keel for the first-of-class was laid down in April 2025 following a steel‑cutting ceremony in December 2024.

All three vessels are based on the Turkish Navy's Ada‑class corvette design, which has an overall length of about 100 m and a full‑load displacement of approximately 2,500 tonnes.

In addition to K-SAAM, each vessel is configured to carry a 76 mm main gun, two quadruple launchers for surface‑to‑surface missiles, and a 30 mm secondary gun.

Separately, a company representative told Janes