Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Chief Admiral Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin said this to FMT when asked whether the leak will impact Malaysia’s submarines.
The leak hit French defence contractor DCNS (which supplies the vessels) and details the combat capabilities of the Scorpene-class submarine designed for the Indian navy.
Malaysia and Chile have variants of the vessel and Brazil is set to deploy it from 2018. Australia has also awarded a contract to DCNS to build submarines.
“The Malaysian submarines, although from the same class (as the Indian navy’s), have their own set of features and different capabilities. It (the leak) will not affect our submarines,” Ahmad Kamarulzaman said.
He said the navy always prioritised the security of information and took steps to prevent leaks.
“Existing policies and orders are sufficient. We will not compromise with anyone who leaks government secrets as it can jeopardise national security.”
The leaked documents, covering 22,400 pages, were marked “Restricted Scorpene India” and gave the combat capabilities of India’s new submarine fleet, The Australian said.
They also included thousands of pages on the submarine sensors and thousands more on its communication and navigation systems as well as nearly 500 pages on the torpedo launch system alone.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also played down the impact in Canberra, saying that while the leak was “of concern”, the Scorpene was a different model to the subs Australia is buying.
The Indian Express reported that the Indian Navy, in a statement, said the source of the hacking appeared to be from outside the country.
The newspaper said the DCNS documents could provide an intelligence landmine for India’s neighbours – Pakistan or China.
It said the first of the Scorpene class submarines being built in India – Kalvari – went for sea trials in May this year and was expected to be inducted in the Indian Navy soon.
Indian Navy officials have said the six submarines, once inducted, would form the core of the navy’s submarine arm for the next two decades.
India has a fleet of 13 ageing submarines, only half of which are operational at any time, Times of India stated.