Kuala lumpur: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) today conducted the firing of several Exocet missiles and a Black Shark torpedo in the TAMING SARI 23/25 exercise in the South China Sea to raise the country's maritime defence readiness.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin stated that the exercise involved the firing of Exocet MM40 missiles by KD Lekiu and KD Lekir, as well as the coordinated firing of Exocet SM39 missiles from the submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman. The exercise also marked a historical moment with the submarine KD Tun Razak firing a Black Shark torpedo in a war configuration for the first time. "For the Exocet missile, the firing was carried out at a distance of more than 30 kilometres while for the Black Shark torpedo, it was at a distance of less than 10 kilometres," said Mohamed Khaled at a press conference.

The exercise was witnessed by Ministry of Defence secretary-general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali, Royal Malaysian Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Zulhelmy Ithnain, Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters Left Gen Datuk Azhan Md Othman, and other RMN senior officers. TAMING SARI 23/25 was completed in conjunction with Exercise KERISMAS 28/25, which ran from July 8 to 31, starting from Lumut Royal Malaysian Navy Base and concluding at the Kota Kinabalu Royal Malaysian Navy Base.

Mohamed Khaled highlighted the involvement of 15 ships and two submarines from RMN, supported by assets from the Army, Royal Malaysian Air Force, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). The exercise aimed to evaluate the current status of the country's defence assets, particularly from RMN, noting that some assets were old but still at an optimal level to fulfill national defence objectives. He emphasized the importance of readiness and the ongoing modernisation process under the future force policy, stressing that national defence relies not only on asset ownership but also on personnel capabilities.