Kedah-class offshore patrol vessel

The Kedah class is a class of offshore patrol vessels, also referred to as New Generation Patrol Vessels, of the Royal Malaysian Navy. The class is named after the lead ship of the class, KD Kedah. The Kedah class is based on the MEKO 100 design by Blohm + Voss. A total of 27 ships were planned; however, due to programme delays and overruns, only six were ordered.

History
In the 1990s the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) identified the need to replace the 30-year-old Vosper Thornycroft-built patrol boats then in use. After receiving approval from Malaysian Government, the RMN ran a competition for the design of the new class of patrol ships in 1996. The competition field was narrowed to submissions from the German Naval Group consortium, Australian Transfield Group, and British Shipyards Vosper Thornycroft and Yarrow Shipbuilders.

The German Naval Group consortium was declared the winner and a 5.35 billion Malaysian ringgit contract for six vessels was signed by the RMN and PSC-Naval Dockyard on September 5, 1998—a unit cost of RM891.67 million for one vessel. However, in a second contract signed in January 2007, another RM1.4 billion was added by the Government of Malaysia to complete the programme, increasing the total value of the contract to RM6.75 billion. Terms of the contract specified the local shipyard company PSC-Naval Dockyard as the prime contractor, with the German Naval Group as the main sub-contractor. The first two ships were to be built in Germany, with the remainder to be built by PSC-Naval Dockyard in Malaysia. PSC Naval Dockyard also signed a RM24 billion contract to build 27 additional vessels over a 10-year period, together with foreign partners led by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

A contract for a further six improved "Second Generation Patrol Vessels" to be built at the same dockyard is projected under the Tenth Malaysia Plan. However, these new vessels will use a different and more capable design.

Progress delay
The shipbuilding has been plagued by financial and technical problems and delays. The first setback occurred when the first hull completed by PSC-Naval Dockyard failed to pass pre-delivery sea trials due to technical problems and quality issues. The crisis continued until the Malaysian government replaced the management team. The programme resumed, but the scandal discouraged the Malaysian Government from further investments.

In June 2006, after a total of 18 months of delays, the Royal Malaysian Navy commissioned KD Kedah, followed by a second hull, KD Pahang in August of the same year, and a third hull, KD Perak on November 12, 2007. By July 2009, six vessels had been launched.

Design
The Kedah class is based on the MEKO 100 patrol vessels. They are designed to have low radar detectability, low noise, low heat dissipation, and have an economical cruising speed. An advanced control system is used to monitor and control the platform machinery of the ships, including propulsion, electrical, damage control, and auxiliary machinery and systems.

Due to the small ship complement, the design relies on a high degree of automation for improved operational effectiveness and survivability of the ships. The design uses intelligent electronics and sensors interconnected by data buses. This enables monitoring and control of machinery from several shipboard locations. The ship has redundant systems to improve survivability.

The modular design of the MEKO allows for the fitting of ships' systems without the actual fixture of armaments and other combat equipment. This concept is known as fitted for but not with and is akin to the concept of “Plug and Play” in modern-day computers. Systems can be added by installing the required modules as the situation warrants, and once installed, the new systems platform can be used without further work on the ships' control systems.

Ships of the class
All ships of the class so far named were named after states in Peninsular Malaysia (Kedah, Pahang, Perak, Terengganu, Kelantan, and Selangor). KD Pahang replaces the former KD Sri Pahang, a Vosper Thornycroft-built 30m patrol boat, which has been decommissioned.

Similar designs
K130 corvettes (based on the Meko A-100 Design) for the German Navy began building in July 2004. Five are to be built for the German Navy: two by Blohm + Voss, two by Lürssen, and one by Nordseewerke. They were scheduled to enter service between May 2007 and November 2008.