11:43 GMT, July 9, 2010 Kuala Lumpur | The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) second Scorpene submarine, KD Tun Razak, reached the Lumut naval base for an official homecoming ceremony on the 2nd of July. Mid-July, she will sail to Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah, the RMN submarine base.

KD Tun Razak’s voyage between DCNS facilities in the south of France and Malaysia lasted 64 days. Following the navigation plan, the Royal Malaysian Navy sailed the submarine 7283 nautical miles through the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Malacca Straits before reaching home.

During its journey, the submarine stopped in four ports of call: Alexandria (Egypt), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Salalah (Oman) and Cochin (India). In Teluk Sepanggar, KD Tun Razak will go through scheduled maintenance before comprehensive sea trials in the tropical waters of the region.

The contract between the Malaysian government and DCNS for two Scorpene submarines and associated logistics and training was signed in June 2002. KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Malaysian submarine reached home in September 2009.

With a displacement of 1,550 tonnes for a length overall of 67.5 metres, each boat requires a crew of just 31 and offers an endurance of 45 days.

This programme demonstrates DCNS’s know-how as a leading prime contractor for sophisticated warship programmes. With ten units ordered (two for Chile, two for Malaysia and six for India), Scorpene is an international benchmark in SSK design.

The Scorpene was designed by DCNS and developed jointly by DCNS and Spanish naval shipbuilder Navantia. The design features a range of advanced technologies – particularly in hydrodynamics, acoustic discretion and automation – drawing on state-of-the-art innovations developed for other submarine programmes.


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