Singapore begins construction of the MRCV destroyers/heavy frigates:

Singapore cuts steel for first multirole combat vessel
by Ridzwan Rahmat

Singapore's ST Engineering Marine held a steel-cutting ceremony for the country's first multirole combat vessel (MRCV) on 8 March.

The steel was ceremonially cut by Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Chief Rear Admiral Sean Wat, who was joined by representatives from the country's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).

“This marks a significant milestone for the MRCV project, which is projected to join the navy's fleet of ships from 2028,” according to the short statement issued by the RSN to announce the event. “The new MRCVs will function as mother ships, capable of controlling unmanned assets across the air, surface, and underwater domains,” the service added.

Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced in March 2023 that it awarded ST Engineering the contract to design and build six MRCVs. The announcement came just days after the DSTA disclosed it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saab to co-develop and design the MRCV.

“The new vessel concept will be equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to enable the MRCV to be a highly digital ship,” DSTA and Saab said in a news release to mark the MOU.

Since then the RSN has disclosed that Thales and Leonardo have been appointed as suppliers of the MRCV's combat systems, although no specifics on these are available. Saab and Danish shipbuilder Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) have also been appointed as joint developers for the MRCV's basic design.

When contacted by Janes on 8 March a MINDEF representative confirmed that no further information on the ship will be released for now.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-det...e-combat-vessel

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source: Sg MOD ^

Note: It looks like the design is more or less confirmed as it is from SG's Ministry of Defence. ST Eng will build it and install the systems and weapons and sensors (including unfinished masts). DSTA is the systems integrator - not just within the ship and within RSN but to ensure the ship links up with all of SAF's domains:

Possible names of RSN's new six 8800 ton heavy frigates/destroyers

Ranger Class

1) RSS Ranger - first of class to be commissioned <2028
2) RSS Resistence
3) RSS Ruler
4) RSS Rapid
5) RSS Resolute
6) RSS Redoubt

^ Unconfirmed. Just speculation on the net. You have RANs Hunter class and now RSNs Ranger class.

Note: Sg tends to build 2 similar naval ships at the same time e.g. Independence class LMVs or Formidable class frigates. All 6 MRCVs are expected be in operation at about 2030-31.

“The new MRCVs will function as ‘motherships’, capable of controlling unmanned assets across the air, surface and underwater domains.”

The shipbuilder added, “The MRCV is designed to function as a mothership and can operate a range of manned and unmanned systems in a flexible, intuitive and integrated manner. The MRCV will be able to support a wide spectrum of missions with maximum combat effectiveness.” Indeed, the MRCV may turn out to be a poster child for manned-unmanned teaming, as Singapore leverages considerable expertise and experience in unmanned technologies.

Naval News learned from various industry sources during IMDEX Asia 2023 that the MRCV would have a displacement of around 8,000 tons and a crew complement of about 80 sailors, indicating a high level of automation in the platform. Naval News understand that the mothership vessels would feature:

Leonardo’s 76mm naval gun in the STRALES variant;
MBDA’s VL MICA NG and Aster B1 NT air defence missiles;
ST Engineering / IAI Blue Spear anti-ship missiles;
Thales’ SeaFire multifunction radar (in four fixed array configuration as aboard the FDI frigate);
Safran’s PASEO XLR EO/IR system;
Safran’s NGDS decoy launching system.

During the naval defense event held in Singapore last year we also learned that competitions were still ongoing for the secondary gun systems (between Leonardo’s Hitrole and Rafael’s Typhoon), the sonar suite (between DSIT and Thales) and the torpedoes (between MU90 and A244 MOD.3 LWT), among other equipment.

ST Engineering Stinger attack UAV prototype - I wouldnt be surprised SG incorporates SMASH:




^ these compact usvs are expected to accompany Sgs next generation infantry - likely launched from manned vehicles like Hunters or Terrex or Broncos.

Uses Artificial Intelligence and advanced algorithms so can be autonomous.

Likely swarm drone tech too.

https://www.edrmagazine.eu/st-engineering-u...em-and-new-ammo
More close-up photos of the next generation Sg SAR rifle (both short and long barrel version) - some mine:






If you look closer you can see one Singapore Ministry of Defence sticker per gun - clearest indication that it is a property of Sgs Mindef now and its incoming deployment in the near future.

Great Leopard 2Sg tanks shots in the recruitment video^

According to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms database, Germany transferred 206 Leo 2A4 tanks to Singapore. These tanks were then upgraded to the Leo 2Sg standard.

In 2019,  it was also reported that Singapore bought some 45 Leo 2A7 tanks from Germany. Singapore has denied this acquisition though the report in itself is interesting. Did Singapore buy more Leo 2A4 instead ?

The gigantic Leo 2 sale is probably over as prices of these tanks have spiked.

Source: Sg MOD

Singapore and German Armies Successfully Conducted Bilateral Live-Firing in Oberlausitz
NEWS RELEASES | 15 Mar 2024 16:00 (GMT+8)

Exercise Panzer Strike is an armour training and live-firing exercise conducted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in the Oberlausitz Military Training Area (OMTA), Germany. It will take place in two frames in spring and autumn. During this year's spring frame, the SAF successfully conducted a bilateral live-firing exercise with the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) from 8 to 15 March, involving approximately 85 servicemen from 3rd Company, 48th Battalion Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) with their German Army counterparts from 391st Panzergrenadier Battalion. The bilateral exercise also included professional exchanges with discussions on Standard Operating Procedures and Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.

The two training frames will involve 14 Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), 14 Hunter Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) and servicemen from 48 SAR and Armour Training Institute. The servicemen will undergo a series of manoeuvre live-firings with the Leopard 2SG MBTs and the Hunter AFVs to hone their skills in gunnery and manoeuvre.

First conducted in 2009, this year marks the 15th edition of the exercise. The large training space in OMTA, which is a quarter of the size of Singapore, allows the Singapore Army to execute more complex mission scenarios on a larger scale and in an integrated manner. Training can be conducted more efficiently with concurrent live-firing of up to four ranges for armoured units. The opportunity to train in Germany has strengthened the professionalism and capabilities of the SAF Armour formation, and reinforced professional ties between the Singapore Army and their German counterparts.

Exercise Panzer Strike underscores the strong and substantive defence relations between Singapore and Germany. The two countries interact regularly through high-level visits and dialogues, military exchanges, cross-attendance of professional courses and technological collaboration. These interactions have reinforced the professional ties between the two defence establishments.

Sipri report bolehland FA50 will be equip with Israeli m2032 radar.

Based on the released image of the engagement, a salvo of three missiles were fired by Alsace. The interception of three ballistic missiles is a complex task and shows the high level of training and professionalism of the crew, as well as the quality of the sensors and weapons systems fitted on the FREMM. Aster 30 long range surface to air missiles were likely used for the interception, with the targets tracked by the Herakles multifunction radar.