Amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption, the government relaunched the project in 2023.
The delivery of the first vessel, scheduled for August this year, has been delayed until December due to late equipment deliveries from manufacturers and ongoing rework issues.
Minister Mohamed Khaled said the programme would continue as planned but without a missile system installed.
Malaysia was also evaluating several alternatives, but the process was complicated as any replacement missile system would have to be compatible with the ships’ existing equipment, he added.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff and Danial Azhar; Additional reporting by Ashley Tang; Editing by David Stanway, Kate Mayberry, Alexandra Hudson)
