Damen has updated the design of its Sigma 9113 corvette to meet a Malaysian requirement for batch-two littoral mission ships. (Jon Grevatt/Janes)
Dutch shipbuilder Damen has disclosed an ‘improved' design of its Sigma 9113 corvette/light frigate for Malaysia's programme to procure additional littoral mission ships (LMSs).
At the Defence Services Asia 2022 (DSA 2022) exhibition in Kuala Lumpur on 29 March, Damen said that the updated design reflects the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) requirements for the LMS batch-two vessels.
A Damen representative said the Sigma 9113 vessel design it plans to offer to the RMN is similar to the Indonesian Navy's four Damen-constructed Diponegoro-class corvettes, the last of which entered service in 2009.
However, the design Damen will offer to Malaysia features several enhancements, which include the integration of a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system, reduced cross-section features, the integration of a helicopter hangar, and modified onboard systems.
Damen said the design also provides for modular construction, which enables “technology transfers to Malaysia as well as the production of some of the modules in the Netherlands and some locally”.
According to Damen, the new design had been influenced specifically by the RMN's batch-two LMS requirement. According to the RMN, these batch-two vessels should have a length of between 85 m and 100 m, a beam of between 11 m and 14 m, and should be able to reach a maximum speed of 28 knots.
Batch-two weapons requirements include a 57 mm gun, a 30 mm close-in weapon system, two launchers for Kongsberg Naval Strike Missiles, as well as surface-to-air missiles or point-defence missile systems.
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