How Malaysia's Lekiu class aged as a Sea Wolf frigate

Was the Sea Wolf-armed Lekiu class the best warship in Southeast Asia?

It was a strong and useful frigate, but its age and newer regional designs make that superlative difficult to sustain.

The Lekiu class emerged from Yarrow's F2000 design and gave Malaysia a useful frigate armed with Sea Wolf. The ships have served for roughly three decades and have already received life-extension work, so their original quality does not settle how they compare with newer regional vessels. Planned Maharaja Lela-class replacements draw on the French Gowind design, but construction delays and cancellations have slowed the transition. The answer therefore treats fleet capability as a combination of sound design, age, modernization, and the reliability of the replacement program. A navy can possess a respected class and still face a growing readiness gap as successor ships slip.