Sabah Navy Base to be ‘World’s First’ Scorpene Training Centre

16 Oktober 2012

RMN's Scorpene class submarine (photo : cari)

KOTA KINABALU — The Kota Kinabalu Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) base here is set to become the world’s first training centre for Scorpene submarines.

RMN Chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said a second simulator training facility, costing about €27 million (RM135 million), would be built for the purpose.

He said work to build the training facility would begin next month, and was scheduled for completion in either January or February, next year.

“When the facility is completed, it will be the world’s first training centre for Scorpene submarines,” he told Bernama here today.

Abdul Aziz said that upon completion of the facility, RMN would also open its Kota Kinabalu base to accept foreign trainees.

So far, India and Chile had offered to send their trainees for training with RMN, he added.

The Kota Kinabalu RMN base here is where the two French-made Scorpene submarines, purchased by the government for RM7.3 billion, are based.

The submarines are named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Razak.

Abdul Aziz said the first simulator for Scorpene training at the base was limited for internal use by RMN.

He said the building of the simulator facility at the base could reduce the government’s expenditure in sending RMN personnel abroad for training.

(Bernama)