The Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people onboard including 38 Australians. Post-crash investigations laid blame on personnel supplied with Russian anti-air weaponry in the area.
The surface Navy laser weapon system is designed to provide layered defence, dazzle airborne threats, defeat unmanned aerial systems and fast inshore attack craft, using available ship power without the need for an energy magazine.
The aircraft conducted the mission, Operation Gateway, in the North Indian Ocean and South China Sea, taking off from Royal Malaysian Air Force Base Butterworth.