Malaysia to Buy Turkey-built Multi-Purpose Mission Ship

Malaysia is reportedly set to sign a letter of acceptance for the procurement of a Turkey-built Multi-Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) during Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Ankara.

Malaysian national news agency Bernama reported that Ibrahim arrived in the Turkish capital on January 6 for a three-day visit. Turkish defense outlet SavunmaSanayiST.com said the MPMS agreement is expected to be signed during the visit and will involve Turkey’s STM Shipyard.

The planned MPMS deal follows Malaysia’s decision to procure three Ada-class-derived corvettes from STM under the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) Batch 2 programme. Signed in mid-2024, the contract covers vessels measuring 99.56m in length, with a beam of 14.42m and a displacement of about 2,500 tons. The ships are intended for a range of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, asymmetric warfare, and electronic warfare.

On April 8, 2025, the Royal Malaysian Navy confirmed that the keel-laying ceremony for the first LMS Batch 2 corvette was held at Istanbul Shipyard. Based on current timelines, the vessel is expected to be completed and launched by mid-2026, with delivery to the navy planned by the end of 2027.

Malaysia has also turned to Turkey for maritime security platforms beyond the navy. In May 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs reportedly signed a separate contract with Turkey’s Desan Shipyard to build a multi-purpose mission ship (MPMS) for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, also known as the Malaysia Coast Guard. The vessel is expected to support patrol and security operations, including in the South China Sea.

Turkey markets several MPMS designs for different operational roles, ranging from large platforms intended for amphibious and logistics support to smaller, high-speed vessels configured for patrol, surveillance, unmanned systems, and interceptor boat operations, depending on customer requirements.