A defence deal between Malaysia and Norway has collapsed after Norway revoked the export licence for Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) intended for the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships.
The missiles were to be supplied under a €124 million contract signed in 2018 with Norwegian defence company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The decision to revoke the licence reportedly came just before delivery, following tighter Norwegian controls on sensitive military exports.
The issue has now escalated into a political matter in Malaysia. Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said on June 2 that the cancellation has already caused direct losses of more than RM600 million, with total costs potentially exceeding RM1 billion, Malay Mail reports.
Malaysia’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, will now summon the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) for clarification.
The committee said it wants updated information after new developments emerged following earlier briefings from ministry secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali.
The matter will be discussed in a joint session with the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Security on June 23.
