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Bulldog Gift For Tok Mat

Tok Mat (white shirt) with the Armed Forces and Defence Ministry leadership on board KD Mahawangsa, the viewing ship. RMAF

SHAH ALAM: Foreign Minister DSU Mohamad Hasan was the guest of honour when KD Lekiu -pennant number 30 – fired two MBDA Exocet Block 2 missiles, north of Malacca Straits on December 14. The missile firings were the culmination of RMN Eks Taming Sari 22/2023.

It is likely Mohamad was already slated to attend the missile firings as the exercise – which started on December 6 and ending on December 16 – had been planned as long as six months ago or even longer.

The Exocet missile fired from KD Lekiu. RMAF

The Cabinet reshuffle announced on Tuesday – with Mohamad going to Wisma Putra and former Higher Education Minister DS Khaled Nordin taking the defence portfolios – did not take into account the long-laid plans.
The missile blasting away from the ship.

Even though the release (below) did not mention it, clearly Mohamad’s presence at the missile firings was a farewell gift to him. It shows the high regard of which the Armed Forces leadership has on him.

Note Bull Dog (see above) is the codename use by the RMN for surface-to-surface missiles, in this case the Exocet. I sincerely hope anyone who used automated translation to copy and paste this article, understands the title of this post. I had been accused of calling someone Ketua Penyamun due a person translating this article without knowing the context.
The Exocet on the way.

EKS TAMING SARI 22/2023 BUKTI KREDIBILITI ARMADA TLDM
Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) telah melaksanakan penembakan misil Exocet MM40 menerusi Eksesais TAMING SARI Siri 22 Tahun 2023 (Eks TAMING SARI 22/2023) di
utara perairan Selat Melaka pada 14 Disember 2023.
Tetamu Khas, yang juga bekas Menteri Pertahanan, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan turut menyaksikan kejayaan penembakan dua buah misil Exocet MM40 dari platform KD MAHAWANGSA. Turut hadir, Panglima Angkatan Tentera, Jeneral Tan Sri Dato Seri’ Mohammad bin Ab Rahman, Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Isham bin Ishak, Panglima Tentera Darat, Jeneral Dato’ Muhammad Hafizuddeain bin Jantan, Panglima Tentera Laut, Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Rahman bin Ayob, Panglima Tentera Udara, Jeneral Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Mohd Asghar Khan bin Goriman Khan TUDM dan Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Logistik) Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia, Laksamana Madya Maritim Datuk Saiful Lizan bin Ibrahim.
Eksesais TAMING SARI adalah siri latihan penembakan misil oleh aset kombatan TLDM bagi menguji keupayaan dan kesiapsiagaan sistem peluru berpandu di kapal serta tahap kompetensi warga The Navy People. Semasa Eks TAMING SARI 22/2023, sebanyak dua buah misil Exocet MM40 telah dilancarkan oleh kapal penembak iaitu KD LEKIU manakala KD LEKIR adalah kapal penembak simpanan. KD LEKIU merupakan kapal kelas Frigat (FFGH30) yang ditauliahkan pada 7 Oktober 1999 dan diketuai oleh Pegawai Memerintah, Kepten Mahamad Nazir bin Darus TLDM. Manakala KD LEKIR pula merupakan kapal kelas Korvet (FSG26) yang ditauliahkan pada 18 Jun 1984 diketuai oleh Pegawai Memerintah, Komander Mhd Izmi Faizal bin Mhd Khani TLDM.
Dengan berkonsepkan Force Integration Training (FIT), aspek kebersamaan atau jointness telah dizahirkan di dalam eksesais ini melalui penglibatan sebanyak 14 buah kapal permukaan, 8 bot dan 12 pesawat dari TLDM, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) dan Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM). Selain KD LEKIU dan KD LEKIR, aset-aset lain yang terlibat adalah KD MAHAWANGSA, KD TERENGGANU, KD SRI INDERA SAKTI, KD KEDAH, KD MAHAMIRU, KD JEBAT, KD LAKSAMANA HANG NADIM, KD LAKSAMANA TUN ABDUL JAMIL, KD GAGAH SAMUDERA, KD PERKASA, KTD PENYU, Fast Combat Boat, Helikopter Operasi Maritim, helikopter Super Lynx dan Fennec dari TLDM, pesawat pejuang F/A 18D, pesawat pengangkut C130 dan CN235 MSA serta helikopter AW 139 dari TUDM, KM SUGUT, helikopter AW 139 dan Bot Penggalang dari APMM.
Eks TAMING SARI 22/2023 turut menguji keupayaan semua aset yang terlibat di samping memperagakan kehadiran angkatan pertahanan maritim negara di perairan Selat Melaka.
Eksesais yang bermula dari 4 hingga 16 Disember 2023 ini terbahagi kepada empat fasa utama iaitu Fasa Pelabuhan, Fasa Pembersihan Kawasan dan Raptai Penembakan, Fasa Hari Penembakan dan Fasa Penutup. Semasa Fasa Pelabuhan dari 4 hingga 9 Disember 2023 di Pangkalan TLDM Lumut, pelbagai aktiviti untuk persediaan di laut telah dilaksanakan meliputi Majlis Pembukaan, Taklimat Eksesais, Perbincangan Pegawai Operasi, Table Top Exercise (TTX) dan Taklimat Pra-Pelayaran. Semasa fasa ini, segala perancangan bagi menghadapi fasa seterusnya telah diperincikan bagi memastikan kejayaan penembakanini. Seterusnya, kesemua aset-aset yang terlibat telah belayar ke utara perairan Selat Melaka bagi melaksanakan Fasa Pembersihan Kawasan dan Raptai Penembakan dari 10 hingga 13 Disember 2023 disusuli dengan penembakan sebenar hari ini. Sepanjang berada di laut, kesiagaan aset-aset ini turut diuji melalui pelaksanaan FIT. Selanjutnya, aset-aset ini akan menjalani Fasa Penutup di Markas Wilayah Laut 3, Langkawi pada 15 dan 16 Disember 2023. Semasa fasa ini, Post Mortem dan Post Exercise Debrief akan dijalankan bagi mengenalpasti sebarang ruang penambahbaikan pelaksanaan eksesais yang akan datang sebelum diakhiri dengan Majlis Penutup Eksesais.
Berlandaskan lanskap geo-strategik yang semakin mencabar ketika ini, TLDM memainkan peranan yang sangat penting untuk kekal relevan dalam konteks pertahanan maritim. Pelaksanaan Eks TAMING SARI 22/2023 dapat mempamerkan keupayaan kuasa tempur TLDM sekaligus membuktikan bahawa ia masih lagi bertaring di arena pertahanan maritim, kredibel dan mampu mempertahankan kedaulatan perairan negara.
TLDM amat berterima kasih kepada Kerajaan Malaysia kerana prihatin mengenai kesiapsiagaannya dari aspek ketersediaan platform, kekuatan tempur dan keberkesanan sokongan logistik. Walau bagaimanapun, keusangan dan kemajuan teknologi yang berkembang pesat perlu disemak secara konsisten bagi memastikan kekuatan armada TLDM kekal relevan dalam mempertahankan kedaulatan perairan Malaysia. Kejayaan penembakan ini membuktikan kesiagaan armada dan kompetensi warga TLDM sentiasa menjadi keutamaan kepimpinan TLDM.

The missile hitting the target. RMN

— Malaysian Defence

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View Comments (7)

  • Silly question: if the RMN keeps firing Exocets, aren’t they going to run out? There have already been multiple times in the past where the missiles have been fired. What is the RMNs stockpile?

  • Question, not sure if this info is confidential or not but are the Seawolf missiles on both Lekiu frigates still active? Or have they been secretly pulled from service?

  • In this past 5 years or so, the only ships that are used to fire Exocet MM40 block 2 is KD Kasturi, KD Lekir and KD lekiu.

    It has been quite a long time since KD Jebat fired an Exocet in anger. Is it has anything to do with the Vibrant 1 CMS?

    I assume KD Lekiu sill has the original Nautis CMS?

  • @TomTom
    Its likely they are firing near time expired rounds or perhaps training rounds (if these exist). If TLDM wants to convert all ASM to NSM eventually, it helps to run down existing Exocet stocks too.

    @Jason Lo
    They might have been time expired as well. Indo Bung Tomo class have theirs time expired and have a plan to upgrade their VLS to VL MICA.

  • "Mohamad’s presence at the missile firings was a farewell gift to him"
    But the current(new) Menhan wasnt invited? Even if it wasnt planned an ad hoc invite would at least pay respect to the incoming minister. Such a faux pas.

    "high regard of which the Armed Forces leadership has on him"
    I wonder why. Did he fundamentally changed how Mindef does things? Or some high ticket buys were confirmed? Or the Procurement board suddenly takes their views as priority? Or their grouses have been heard and actions taken to ease their burden? On surface I dont see any significant changes thou... The LCS is still in limbo, the Army SPH is still in limbo, their 4x4 + 6x6 plan that was supposed to go is now in limbo, TUDM LCA finally got approval but MRCA is still in limbo, MMEA OPV2&3 is still in limbo.

    "I had been accused of calling someone Ketua Penyamun by someone"
    Haha perhaps you should have a BM version articles too. After all PMX said must prioritise BM usage too, rite?

    • No idea whether the new Minister was invited or not. As for the high regard, Tok Mat has been the only one who had farewell and missile firings to his credit in recent memory. As for why, I have an idea why but not sharing it publicly.