MANJUNG: The participation of KD Lekir in the Rim Of The Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercise in Honolulu, Hawaii has proven the resilience and readiness of the Royal Malaysian Navy assets.

Western Fleet Vice Admiral Datuk Abu Bakar Mohd Ajis said KD Lekir’s ability to overcome challenges and carry out the exercise without fail is something that all Navy personnel should be proud of.

“This ship (KD Lekir) is already 40 years old, yet it could still navigate the open sea for 62 days across a distance close to half the circumference of the world during the exercise,” he said.

He added that during the training phase at sea, KD Lekir set sail for 24 days without facing any damage and major problems throughout the voyage.

He said this while welcoming the arrival of KD Lekir which will be docked at the Lumut Base here on Saturday (Sept 3).

Abu Bakar added that all series of training was successfully conducted through cooperation between all the countries involved in the exercise.

“This exercise records the first success of an RMN ship firing an Exocet MM 40 Block II missile outside Malaysian waters.

“It is a proud achievement for the navy because it gives a lot of added value to the personnel as the country’s representative in large-scale training that includes multi-dimensional training and the spectrum of warfare,” he added.

According to him, the success of KD Lekir also proves the readiness of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s fleet through the Mid Life Upgrade Programme of KD Lekir which was implemented in 2009 to ensure that the ship’s service life can be extended until 2030.

“All the experiences and exciting challenges can be applied in daily operations in Malaysia with new techniques learned throughout the training,” he said.

Rimpac 2022 ran from June 29 to Aug 4 was held around the Hawaiian Islands and southern California and was the 28th installment of the exercise that started in 1971.

After two weeks in port, Rimpac participants set out for a 22-day exercise at sea starting July 11 involving 38 ships, four submarines and more than 170 aircraft belonging to 26 countries. – Bernama