First Malaysian LCS Begins Sea Trials

MALAYSIA’S first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)—the Maharaja Lela (LCS 1) began its first sea trials on April 29. Its builders Lumut Naval Shipyard (LUNAS) confirmed the trials kicked off in a social media post.

“LCS 1 conducted her first sea trial yesterday as part of her performance validation and readiness assessment programme prior to sea acceptance trials with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). The trial marks an important step in evaluating her systems and operational capabilities under real sea conditions.”

Additionally, the Maharaja Lela was docked at the RMN’s main naval base jetty in Lumut for the service’s 92nd anniversary, a stone’s throw away from the LUNAS shipyard. The Maharaja Lela also received a royal visit from the state of Perak’s Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Raja Jaafar, where the ship’s namesake hails from.

Based on footage of the Maharaje Lela conducting trials, the vessel could be observed with several weapons and systems already fitted onboard. Among the weapons systems observed were the stealthy 57mm main gun in its stealthy cupola mounted on the foredeck and a pair of 30mm guns atop the stern hangar.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:LUNAS, ADJ)