LCT project to continue, LTAT might be impacted if project incomplete - Hishammuddin

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Parliament and the Cabinet have all agreed to carry on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) procurement project.

Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said, however, the method under which the project will be continued, would be announced after the Cabinet reached a final decision.

He said the most important matter in the LCS issue was that the planned ships needed to be handed to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).

"Secondly, it is to ensure that the companies involved, including stakeholders are compensated, especially those who are working as vendors, including many armed forces veterans," he said in a media conference.

He had earlier witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Defence Ministry and several defence industry players at the Defence Services Asia and National Security Asia 2022 exhibition here today.

Hishammuddin also explained that if the LCS issue was not resolved, it might affect the Armed Forces Fund's (LTAT) financial standing, which would impact its contributors.

He also said that his discussions with the French Defence Minister Florence Parliy regarding the matter had been ongoing till now.

The LCS programme is part of the RMN's 15-to-5 development plan aimed to strengthen the country's naval assets and all six ships planned were based on the Gowind design by the French company, Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS).

Meanwhile, touching on the F/A-18D (Hornet) fighter jets from Kuwait, Hishammuddin said Malaysia was making plans and had been in negotiations to look at Kuwait's decommissioning process.

"That is still in place but it involves bilateral relations between Malaysia and Kuwait. God willing, it will happen, and it would add value to our immediate plans," he added.

It was previously reported that the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) was currently in the process of procuring a number of F/A-18D (Hornet) fighter jets from Kuwait.

-- BERNAMA