Singapore shipbuilder ST Engineering Marine has cut steel for the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)’s second Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) on 24 April, the service announced in social media post on the same day.
The programme milestone was officiated by RSN Chief of Staff – Naval Staff (COS-NS) Rear Admiral Augustine Lim.
The MRCVs are expected to be delivered progressively from 2028 and are designed to serve as ‘motherships’ for unmanned systems, the service noted.
The MRCVs are designed by Swedish defence prime Saab in collaboration with Denmark’s Odense Maritime Technology (OMT) and is based on a modified version of the latter’s Royal Danish Navy’s Absalon-class and Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate design merged with elements of Saab’s composite topside and systems integration technology, but are being built and subsequently maintained by ST Engineering Marine.
Saab is also supplying and integrating six composite superstructures. The company earlier supplied composite superstructures for the RSN’s eight Littoral Mission Vessels (LMVs).
The MRCVs will also feature an integrated full electric propulsion (IFEP) system supplied by GE Vernova’s Power Conversion business, making the class the first to feature such a propulsion arrangement. According to GE Vernova, the six MRCVs will be the first IFEP-powered vessels for the RSN and will replace its fleet of conventional mechanical drive Victory-class missile corvettes, which have been in service since 1989.
In March 2023 the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced that ST Engineering Marine was awarded a contract for the detailed design and build of six MRCVs. Neither the contract value nor specifications of the new vessels were disclosed.
MINDEF earlier announced that the MRCVs – which will replace six ageing Victory-class missile corvettes – will function as mother ships that would host a range of unmanned air, surface, and subsurface vehicles. The MRCVs will be delivered progressively to the RSN from 2028 onwards.
For example, the RSN has already fielded 16 m-class USVs that have been optimised for mine countermeasures (MCM) and maritime security (MARSEC) missions.
by Jr Ng
