Malaysian Frigates Deal for Clyde Yards

According to the Herald, BAe Systems' Clyde shipyards have won a contract to design and part-build two frigates for the Malaysian navy which will help safeguard hundreds of Scottish engineering jobs. Sections of the warships are to be built at the company's Govan and Scotstoun facilities, but final assembly of the completed blocks and launch will take place at the Labuan shipyard in Malaysia. The Royal Malaysian Navy operates two frigates built at the former Yarrow shipyard in the 1990s, two acquired from Italy, six corvettes and eight missile craft as well as more than 50 inshore patrol boats. A BAe spokesman said it was too early to put a price tag on the Glasgow work, but confirmed that it would involve detailed naval design and the construction of "block sections" of the frigates. The 95-foot patrol boats are armed with Exocet anti-shipping missiles and Sea Wolf anti-aircraft systems as well as rapid-fire guns. Source: The Herald