Malaysia to purchase multipurpose warship from Korea Options

[CJK]

SEOUL/BANGKOK, March 12 (Yonhap) -- Malaysia has placed an order with South Korea for the production of a multipurpose warship that can also be used as a hospital ship, a news report said Sunday.

The order was made as Malaysia's deputy prime minister Najib Tun Razak, who doubles as defense minister, is visiting South Korea's southern port city of Busan as part of an eight-day trip to the country from Thursday, Malaysia's state news agency Bernama said.

Produced by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., the warship is equipped with state-of-the-art radar and anti-missile weapons. It has the ability to carry 700 passengers in addition to its crew, as well as helicopters, tanks, guns, amphibious vehicles and various other military vehicles.

Najib did not mention the exact price of the warship, Bernama reported.

Malaysia has increased its military spending in recent years to build up its defense capabilities. Most recently, the country purchased US$1 billion worth of Sukhoi 30-MKM fighters from Russia.

Meanwhile, Najib paid a courtesy call on South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul Monday for discussions on closer bilateral ties.

"President Roh asked Deputy Prime Minister Najib to help further expand bilateral relations, and expressed hope that South Korea and Malaysia increase practical cooperation in the fields of defense and energy industries," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement after the meeting.

"In response, Najib expressed an interest in expanding cooperation with South Korea in information technology, culture and tourism," it said.


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I know Korea sells the most ships the world in terms of tonnage/costs, but i figure this one's news cuz it's a warship.

This post has been edited by CJK: Mar 12 2007, 07:21 PM

[KJlost]

A visit doesn't mean anything until you sign the papers. Hell, in the case of Mexico, we signed MOU for KT-1s, and they went and bought the Swedish aircrafts instead.

From the looks of it, and the fact that they mentioned Hanjin, the visit included a tour of the LPH-6111 Dokdo, the first helicopter assault landing ship of navy. The specifications also match, with ability to transport some 700 troops and anti-missile systems. However, the Dokdo or similar class of ship is probably out of reach for Malaysian Navy's pockets.

A more likely candidate for export would be an LPD like the one delivered to the Indonesian Navy by Daesun.

[enomosiki]

SEOUL/BANGKOK, March 12 (Yonhap) -- Malaysia has placed an order with South Korea for the production of a multipurpose warship that can also be used as a hospital ship, a news report said Sunday.

The order was made as Malaysia's deputy prime minister Najib Tun Razak, who doubles as defense minister, is visiting South Korea's southern port city of Busan as part of an eight-day trip to the country from Thursday, Malaysia's state news agency Bernama said.

Produced by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., the warship is equipped with state-of-the-art radar and anti-missile weapons. It has the ability to carry 700 passengers in addition to its crew, as well as helicopters, tanks, guns, amphibious vehicles and various other military vehicles.

Najib did not mention the exact price of the warship, Bernama reported.

Malaysia has increased its military spending in recent years to build up its defense capabilities. Most recently, the country purchased US$1 billion worth of Sukhoi 30-MKM fighters from Russia.

Meanwhile, Najib paid a courtesy call on South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun at his office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul Monday for discussions on closer bilateral ties.

"President Roh asked Deputy Prime Minister Najib to help further expand bilateral relations, and expressed hope that South Korea and Malaysia increase practical cooperation in the fields of defense and energy industries," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement after the meeting.

"In response, Najib expressed an interest in expanding cooperation with South Korea in information technology, culture and tourism," it said.
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I know Korea sells the most ships the world in terms of tonnage/costs, but i figure this one's news cuz it's a warship.

Australia wants KDX-III's, or at least copy its design and onboard equipment.

South Korea's getting some interest by foreign nations for several high-tech weaponry lately. Sadly, the limiting factor is the overall budget, although I must admit that South Korea doesn't have to go through all the bullsh!t red-tape like the U.S. or other NATO nations just to make something that works and test them to death to the point where they largely become obsolete.

There was a quiet news about South Korean Navy planning to acquire a long-endurance nuclear submarine. The officials, obviously, hushed it up, although I still wonder what the hell happened to that plan.

[CJK]

another article related to the topic.

March 13, 2007 22:35 PM
South Korea Positive On Defence Technology Transfer

From Roslan Ariffin

SEOUL, March 13 (Bernama) -- South Korea has responded positively to Malaysia's request for transfer of defence technology, paving the way for expanded collaboration in the defence industry, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said here Tuesday.

He said he conveyed Malaysia's interest for the technology transfer at his meeting on Monday with South Korean Defence Minister Kiuk Jang-soo.

"I informed him that we were looking not just at the purchase of weapons or defence systems but transfer of technology and collaboration in the industry ... things that we can do in Malaysia," he told Malaysian journalists at the end of his six-day visit to South Korea.

Last Saturday, during a visit to the South Korean warship manufacturing facility in Busan, Najib said the government would consider a proposal to purchase the South Korean Multi-Functional Support Ship to upgrade the capability of the Malaysian defence forces.

He said the purchase proposal was contained in the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) budget to enable the defence forces to meet the needs of military duties and participate in humanitarian missions of the United Nations when necessary.

The support vessel, built by Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd and soon to be commissioned for use by the South Korean navy, is equipped with the most modern radar system and a weapons system.

It can accommodate 700 military officers and men and can carry helicopters, tanks, artillery, hovercraft as well as other military vehicles to aid aerial operations.

Najib was in South Korea since last Thurday at the invitation of President Roh Moo-hyun. He left for Kuala Lumpur this evening.

The deputy prime minister said his visit was most fruitful because he had the opportunity to identify several fields in which South Korea excelled and Malaysia could benefit from.

"We looked at several fields where (South) Korea has the strength and capacity of world standard, including building of ships, marine engineering and the motor vehicle industry," he said.

Najib said there was avenue for growth in the cooperation between Malaysia and South Korea following a personal undertaking given by President Roh when he called on him.

He said the South Korean president informed him that he would ensure that there would be no obstacles to thwart efforts to enhance bilateral relations.

Najib said he had explained to the South Korean government and investors that Malaysia was more interested in the use of technology rather than labour-intensive industries.

-- BERNAMA