Ministry of Defence Malaysia is reviewing proposals from several countries to replace the naval strike missile system previously cancelled by Norway.

ISTANBUL, May 25 — Ministry of Defence Malaysia is evaluating proposals from several countries to identify the best replacement for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system, following the cancellation of its delivery by a Norwegian defence company.

Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said discussions were also held with multiple parties during his visit to Türkiye to secure suitable proposals for consideration by the Royal Malaysian Navy.

“So far, there are three to four countries that have submitted offers — countries we are confident in and believe are sincere and willing to assist us.

“We are holding discussions, particularly with the navy, to explore solutions, and the navy will conduct evaluations of these four proposals before they are presented to the government,” he told Bernama during the naming and launch ceremony of the first Littoral Mission Ship Batch 2 (LMSB2), Tunku Laksamana Abdul Jalil, officiated by Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, at the Istanbul shipyard.

He added that key considerations include whether replacing the missile system would require major structural modifications to ships that have already been built.

“First is our confidence and trust in the countries offering the systems. Second is whether significant modifications are needed to the completed ships, third is cost, and fourth is delivery timelines,” he said, adding that the process would take time as the factors are interlinked.

On follow-up action against Norway, Mohamed Khaled said he had not yet received updates after a notice of demand was issued to the manufacturer, and he plans to meet his Norwegian counterpart during the Shangri-La Dialogue 2026 in Singapore later this month.

“We have informed them that we wish to meet the Norwegian Defence Minister. Whether it is productive or not is secondary — at the very least, I can meet him and express our dissatisfaction with their actions,” he said.

Norway’s Foreign Affairs Ministry was previously reported to have withdrawn several export licences related to certain technologies as part of tightened export controls, affecting the NSM procurement agreement between the Royal Malaysian Navy and KDA signed in April 2018, valued at 124 million euros (RM571.9 million) for six Littoral Combat Ships.

The missile is capable of long-range maritime strikes at high subsonic speeds, with a range exceeding 300 kilometres. — Bernama