Singapore has confirmed plans to acquire two additional submarines, expanding its Invincible-class fleet within the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) to a total of six vessels.
This development was revealed by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen during a parliamentary session where he outlined the Ministry of Defence’s expenditure strategies.
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The first two Invincible-class submarines, which were custom-ordered from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, achieved full operational status in September of 2024.
The commissioning ceremony for RSS Invincible and RSS Impeccable was overseen by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and other defence officials.
The RSN officially welcomed the first Type-218 Invincible-class submarine, the Impeccable, into service on 20 July 2023.
The remaining two submarines of the class are progressing towards full operational capability, with all four expected to be in service by 2028.
Ng Eng Hen said: “In the interest of time, I will first name the big-ticket items starting with conventional capabilities, as some of you have asked for. You remember that in 2017, we started building four Invincible-class submarines. That programme is on track, with all four custom-made German submarines for the RSN, first time we have had custom-made submarines. They will all be operational by around 2028. These submarines were manufactured for the icy waters there.
“But four submarines are not optimal for a fleet. Submarines are subjected to more rigorous and frequent maintenance cycles with stringent checks, as you can imagine, as they need to operate under intense pressure, literally. So sometimes, operational time is reduced, relatively, and this is why most Navies that operate submarines have more than four – Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam – to name a few of our close neighbours.”
Additionally, the Navy is preparing to introduce its inaugural multi-role combat vessel (MRCV) later in 2025, which will succeed the Victory-class corvettes that have been active since 1989.
The MRCVs feature a larger size and a threefold increase in range compared to their predecessors and are designed as motherships accompanied by uncrewed platforms.
Equipped with a suite of sensors and combat systems, the MRCVs are anticipated to enhance the Navy’s ability to protect Singapore’s maritime interests.
The contract for designing and constructing these multi-role combat vessels was awarded to ST Engineering Marine, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering, in 2023.
ST Engineering Marine was tasked with the detailed design and construction of six MRCVs for the RSN.
