M’sia Defence Ministry dismisses submarine data leak

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Scorpene submarines have different specifications from those used by India, said Putrajaya, in allaying concerns over a secret data leak reportedly hitting French submarine supplier DCNS that has compromised Indian military submarines.

Malaysian Deputy Defence Minister Mohd Johari Baharum said the report by The Australian newspaper — which claimed that the leaked documents detailed the “entire” combat capability of six Scorpene-class submarines DCNS had designed for India, variants of which are used by Malaysia and Chile — should be investigated and verified first.

“Whatever the result may be, the specifications, characteristics and the abilities of our submarines are unique and different from that owned by Chile or India. Therefore, I don’t see any reason to worry because of the allegation of a data leak that was reported, because it does not affect our operations or the security of TLDM’s (Royal Malaysian Navy) submarines,” Mr Mohd Johari told Malay Mail Online.

The Australian newspaper reported that the massive data leak of 22,400 pages on the secret stealth capabilities of the Indian navy’s new submarines marked “Restricted Scorpene India” also included information on the submarine’s underwater sensors, above-water sensors, combat management system, torpedo launch system, and communications and navigation systems.

The stealth capabilities of the new Indian submarines that were reportedly leaked included the frequencies they gather intelligence at, the levels of noise they make at various speeds, as well as their diving depths, range and endurance, which The Australian newspaper described as sensitive and highly classified information.

The Indian Defence Ministry said yesterday it sees no immediate security risk from the leak, adding that it has taken up the matter with the French government. The submarines are being built at a state-run shipyard in Mumbai, and the first one was expected to go into service by the end of the year, the first step in the Indian Navy’s effort to rebuild its fleet.

DCNS said it could not immediately authenticate the documents, but would not rule out that the leak was part of an “economic war” waged by the competitors.

Malaysia commissioned two Scorpene submarines from DCNS in 2009.

Mr David Han, a research analyst with the Malaysia Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), told TODAY that Malaysia does not face the same maritime security issues as India, so the operational requirements of the Malaysian Navy would be different.

“It is not surprising that Malaysia’s submarines could have unique capabilities and ... these capabilities could be different compared to their Indian counterparts even though the submarines are of the same class and made by the same manufacturer,” he said, adding that it is not uncommon for military armed forces around the world to modify their weapon systems.

Dr Bernard Loo, an associate professor at the RSIS’ Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies said that “it makes sense that the Malaysian Scorpenes are modified, since the Scorpene to begin with was designed to operate in cold waters, and Malaysia’s Scorpenes operate in warm tropical waters with higher salinity and therefore experience greater corrosion than the French boats”.

However, he noted the leak is extensive and a potentially serious issue because the specifications released will have a direct impact on what Scorpenes can and cannot do. “In a conflict situation, therefore, Malaysia’s Scorpenes have been to some extent compromised,” he said. “The good news is that Malaysia does not exist in a conflict situation.” AGENCIES, WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KOI KYE LEE