The Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected defence technology company LIG Defence and Aerospace (LIG D&A; formerly LIG Nex1) for the delivery of new K-SAAM surface-to-air missiles for use by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
The contract is valued at approximately US$94 million and will cover the integration of K-SAAMs into the RMN's three future littoral mission ships, which are under construction at the facilities of Turkish naval shipbuilder STM Defence.
The K-SAAM can be employed against a range of threats such as aircraft and anti-ship missiles.
Each missile will be fitted with a dual-mode seeker head with both imaging infrared and radio frequency guidance to ensure greater accuracy.
The agreement between the MOD and LIG D&A will result in the RMN becoming the first export user of the K-SAAM, which has been in service with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) since 2021.
ROKN ships equipped with K-SAAM include the Daegu-class frigates and the amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado.