LIMA 2025: Malaysian navy to receive first USV
A model of Swift Sea-Stalker (S3-HP) USV was handed over to the RMN at LIMA 2025. (Janes/Vinod Kumar CV)
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) will soon take delivery of its first unmanned surface vehicle (USV) under an agreement announced at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition 2025.
A spokesperson from Los Angeles-based firm Swiftships confirmed to Janes at the show that the RMN will acquire the company's Swift Sea-Stalker (S3-HP) in the next few months. At LIMA 2025 Swiftships handed over a model of the USV to the RMN.
The spokesperson said the USV will be operated by the RMN for trials without charge. Janes understands there is no RMN obligation to procure the USV, although the service does maintain requirements for such systems.
RMN Assistant Chief of Staff of Planning and Strategy Rear Admiral Azman bin Rabani said the S3-HP could help the RMN to enhance its surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations.
He added that the S3-HP would enable the RMN to “explore uncrewed platforms [that] can also support the vision of the Malaysian Armed Forces [and its] future force development plan”.
Swiftships describes the S3-HP as a high-endurance, flexi-mission, and survivable USV, constructed with a durable aluminium frame and a self-scuttling hull.
According to the company, the USV is equipped with multispectral sensors and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communication systems, and it features a modular mission payload bay with a capacity of 567 kg.
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