Kedah Class OPV
Encyclopedia
The Kedah class is a class of offshore patrol vessels
Patrol boat
A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties.There have been many designs for patrol boats. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, or police force, and may be intended for marine and/or estuarine or river environments...
(OPV) of the Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy is the naval arm of Malaysian Armed Forces. All commissioned ships of the RMN have the prefix KD , which means Royal Ship.-Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve:...
and named after the lead ship of the class, 171 KD Kedah. The Kedah class is based on the MEKO
MEKO
The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm + Voss.MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" . It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of...
100 design by Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
. A total of 27 ships was planned, with only six having been ordered from Malaysian builders. Since it is result of the New Generation Patrol Vessel (NGPV) programme, it is also referred to as "New Generation Patrol Vessels" or "NGPVs".
History
The Royal Malaysian NavyRoyal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy is the naval arm of Malaysian Armed Forces. All commissioned ships of the RMN have the prefix KD , which means Royal Ship.-Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve:...
(RMN) in the 1990s identified the need to replace the Vosper Thornycroft built patrol boats that were being used, as these inshore patrol boats were not competent for the future and tend to age after a service life of 30 years. These Vosper built boats are 103 foot built patrol crafts commissioned in the 1960s. They were armed with 2 x 40mm HA 70 Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
guns mounted fore and aft, powered by Maybach
Maybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
Diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s with a design speed of 27 knots.
The RMN proposed the Next Generation Patrol Vessel (NGPV) programme as the replacement of the old boats. After receiving approval from Malaysian Government, the RMN ran a competition for the design of the new class of patrol ships in 1996. The German Naval Group
German Naval Group
The German Naval Group is a consortium of German industrial companies that bidded and won a major contract to design and build the New Generation Patrol vessels for the Royal Malaysian Navy.Background...
consortium was adjudged the winner, beating off final competitors, the Australian Transfield Group and British Shipyards Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
.
A contract for a batch of 6 vessels was signed in 2000. Terms of the contract specified the local shipyard company PSC-Naval Dockyard
PSC-Naval Dockyard
Penang Shipbuilding and Construction - Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd , was a division of the Penang Shipbuilding and Construction Industries Bhd , a Malaysian Government-Linked Company , based in the Lumut, Perak, Malaysia. The company's primary role is to maintain the Royal Malaysian Navy fleet and the...
as the prime contractor, the German Naval Group (GNG) as the main sub-contactor. First 2 ships were to be built in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, with the remainder to be built by PSC-Naval Dockyard
PSC-Naval Dockyard
Penang Shipbuilding and Construction - Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd , was a division of the Penang Shipbuilding and Construction Industries Bhd , a Malaysian Government-Linked Company , based in the Lumut, Perak, Malaysia. The company's primary role is to maintain the Royal Malaysian Navy fleet and the...
in Malaysia. PSC Naval Dockyard also signed a RM 24 billion contract to build 27 offshore patrol vessels over 10 years for the RMN, together with foreign partners led by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines...
.
A contract for a further 6 improved vessels or the "Second Generation Patrol Vessels" or "SGPVs" is projected under the Tenth Malaysia Plan
Tenth Malaysia Plan
Tenth Malaysian Plan abbreviated as '10MP', is a comprehensive blueprint prepared by the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department and the Finance Ministry of Malaysia with approval by the Cabinet of Malaysia to allocate the national budget from the year 2011 to 2015 to all...
.
Progression delay
The progression has been plagued by technical problems and delays. The first hull (later named KD Kedah), completed by PSC-Naval Dockyard, failed to pass pre-delivery sea trials due to technical problems and quality issues, causing a major setback of the programme. The crisis continued until the Malaysian government replaced a new management team, the programme was then back on track. However the scandal had discouraged the Malaysian Government to invest in the programme. Many had expected the programme to stop at 6 vessels as oppose to the initial plan of 27.In June 2006, the Royal Malaysian Navy finally commissioned KD Kedah, which was delayed for 18 months, followed by a second hull, KD Pahang, in August of the same year, and a third hull, KD Perak, on November 12, 2007. All 6 vessel had since been launched as of July, 2009.
Design
The MEKOMEKO
The MEKO family of warships was developed by the German company Blohm + Voss.MEKO is a registered trademark. The portmanteau stands for "Mehrzweck-Kombination" . It is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of...
100 based Patrol Vessels are designed to have low radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
detectability, low noise, low heat dissipation and have an economical cruising speed. An advanced control system is used to monitor and control the platform machinery of the ships, including propulsion
Marine propulsion
Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a ship or boat across water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting a motor or engine turning a propeller, or less frequently, in jet...
, electrical, damage control and auxiliary machinery and systems.
Due to the small ship complement, the design relies on a high degree of automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
for improved operational effectiveness and survivability of the ships. The design uses intelligent electronics and sensors interconnected by data buses. This enables monitoring and control of machinery from several shipboard locations. The ship has redundant systems to improve survivability.
The modular design of the MEKO allows for the fitting of ships systems without the actual fixture of armaments and other combat equipments. This is akin to the concept of “Plug and Play” in modern day computers. Systems can be added on by installing the required modules as the situation warrants, and once installed, the new systems platform can be used without further work on the ships controls system.
Ships of the class
| Pennant Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Name | Laid down | Shipyard Shipyard Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial... |
Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F171 | Kedah | November 13, 2001 | Blohm + Voss | March 21, 2003 | June 5, 2006 |
| F172 | Pahang | December 21, 2001 | HDW | October 2, 2003 | August 3, 2006 |
| F173 | Perak | March 2002 | Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. | November 12, 2007 | June 3, 2009 |
| F174 | Terengganu | August 2004 | Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. | December 6, 2007 | December 8, 2009 |
| F175 | Kelantan | July 2005 | Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. | November 24, 2008 | May 8, 2010 |
| F176 | Selangor | July 2006 | Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn. Bhd. | July 23, 2009 | December 28, 2010 |
All ships of the class so far named were named after states in Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
(Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
, Pahang
Pahang
Pahang is the third largest state in Malaysia, after Sarawak and Sabah, occupying the huge Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by Kelantan, to the west by Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, to the south by Johor and to the east by Terengganu and the South China Sea.Its state...
, Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Terengganu
Terengganu
Terengganu is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Iman...
, Kelantan
Kelantan
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....
and Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
). KD Pahang replaces the former KD Sri Pahang, a Vosper Thornycroft built 30m patrol boat, which has been decommissioned.
Similar designs
K130Braunschweig class corvette
The K130 Braunschweig class is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. They supplement the Gepard class fast attack craft that are currently used.-Technical details:...
corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s (based on the Meko A-100 Design) for the German Navy began building in July 2004 - 5 are to be built for the German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
, 2 by Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
, 2 by Lürssen
Lürssen
Lürssen is a German shipbuilding company based in Bremen-Vegesack.Lürssen designs and constructs yachts, naval ships and special vessels...
and 1 by Nordseewerke
Nordseewerke
Nordseewerke is a shipbuilding company located in Emden, Germany. The name Nordseewerke means "North Sea shipyard" in German. The shipyard employs some 1,400 people and is the second-largest plant in Emden, following Volkswagen...
and will enter service between May 2007 and November 2008.