May 1, 2025

Singapore begins 2nd MRCV build

 In a development that is sure to trigger Pete about Australia's convoluted naval construction issues, Singapore's ST Engineering Marine shipbuilder (majority owned by Singapore's GIC, Temasak Holdings) has begun construction of the second Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV). This means that the MRCV program is on track to see all six units delivered to the Republic of Singapore Navy from 2028 - a very speedy build time, considering these are large surface combatants.

Image from: NavalNews

The MRCV program was initiated in 2017 by the RSN as the successor class to the 500-ton Victory-class missile corvette, with the first public mention in 2018. The program also has a tie-in to Singapore's biannual IMDEX naval exhibition, with a host of shipbuilders, like DAMEN, Naval Group and ST Marine, showcasing potential designs at IMDEX 2019 in May 2019. 

At IMDEX 2023, a Saab/OMT joint design was chosen, with ST Engineering Marine serving as the primary contractor and builder, and Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) assuming overall program management. While in 2019, many of us assumed that the class would be a frigate-sized vessel with a displacement of 4,000 tons to 6,000 tons, NavalNews confirmed at IMDEX 2023 from conversations with bidding companies that the RSN's requirements had escalated displacement to 8,000 tons, with a crew complement of 80 - this indicates a high degree of automation, and is also in line with the Singapore Navy's current practice of using ST Marine to conduct all levels of MRO.

Steel was cut for the first in class in March 2024, and the keel was laid in October 2024, with the first vessel scheduled to launch by the end of 2025 (yes, this is a 21-month build program for the hull of an 8,000-ton surface combatant), though she will likely need two more years for fitting out of ship and combat systems before she's delivered to the RSN for commissioning, likely in early 2028.

If ST Engineering Marine maintains this current production schedule, with a MRCV hull completed every year, this would mean that the sixth and final hull should be launched in 2030. 

IMDEX 2025 is next week, and I am certain that there will be further updates on the MRCV, such as what they are actually going to be called (the RSN seems to favour attribute names, so we will not see an RSS Lee Kuan Yew as he actually disliked this practice), and we should find out what the ships will actually look like!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like Australia may get to build some interesting new naval vessels too:

"Senator Kelly declared, “Australia will be at some point here in the future,
building Virginia-class submarines, which is critical to the fight in the Western
Pacific.” This statement framed Australia’s future production role as integral to
the AUKUS trilateral pact and highlighted the growing urgency in Washington to
counter China's maritime assertiveness through allied industrial integration and
revitalized American shipbuilding."

Source:

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/u-s-senator-says-australia-will-build-virginia-class-submarines-in-the-future-to-deter-china-in-the-western-pacific

Pete2 said...

Hi Anonymous at 5/03/2025 5:32 AM

Non foreign or defense specialist, Senator John Kennedy's, expectation Australia could build Virginias would be news to US industry commercial competition (especially GDEB and HII) the DoD, USN, Congress, UK, ASC etc.

Perhaps this should await the second coming...

of a President John Kennedy.

Cheers Pete

Pete2 said...

You bet I'm triggered Shawn!

Singapore efficiently building ships on time, on budget with seamless integration of Singaporean Government, Industry and Navy in no way compares with traditional Aussie inefficiency.

We aim to triple budgets and double acquisition periods for: political and electoral effect; federal funding for South and Western Australian government and private industry; union jobs; supply chain companies elsewhere in Australia; post naval careers in shipbuilding companies for mid to senior naval officers and for patient politicians.

All our aims would be frustrated by Singapore's example of merely one decade from first public mention (2018) to commissioning (2028) for the first MRCV.

We rejoice in taking more than 2 decades for 3 times the budget Singapore does it in.

I proudly point to the Hunter-class future frigates program enjoying
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter-class_frigate :

first public mention (2009) first commissioning (2032) = 23 years and with woefully too few VLS cells

avoiding the tried and trusted Arleigh Burke-class in favour of an untested incomplete UK Type 26 design.

Thankyou again BAE. BAE is due, in future, to sprinkle its special magic over the $20 Billion unit cost per sub SSN-AUKUS.

Cheers Pete