Singapore Navy: New MRCVs, OPVs, 218SG subs & Landing Craft under construction

Republic of Singapore picture of third future MRCV (Vigilance) carried by Naval News September 3, 2026
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The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has two major new vessel classes currently under construction: the Victory class Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCVs) and the unnamed class of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).

These vessels, along with Singapore's new, eventually 6 x Invincible-class/Type 218SG submarines, will sharply increase the tonnage and capability of Singapore's Navy. 

Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCVs)

Singapore's ST Engineering Marine is building 6 large 8,400 tonne Victory-class MRCVs to replace the 6 aging 600 tonne, confusingly also called "Victory-class" missile corvettes.

Current Status: The first MRCV (Victory) was launched in late 2025, the second ship (Valour) was launched on July 23, 2026, and the keel for the third ship (Vigilance) (see artwork above) was laid down on September 3, 2026. 
Delivery: Scheduled for progressive delivery starting in 2028 through 2030. 
Design & Capabilities: Displacing roughly 8,000 to 8,400 tonnes and measuring 150 meters long, these advanced warships function as "motherships" capable of operating unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater systems. They feature high automation requiring a crew of fewer than 100 sailors. 

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2026/09/singapore-lays-keel-for-third-multi-role-combat-vessel/

Singapore navy launches first of six MRCVs. Reports Channel News Asia (CNA) on October 22, 2025.
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Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs)

Singapore is also procuring a class of four new OPVs, possibly based on the German 1,900 tonne Potsdam-class patrol boat, to succeed various smaller vessels including the 500 tonne Sentinel-class maritime security and response vessels (MRSVs).

Current Status: Designed by German firm Fassmer and built by Western Baltic Shipyard before final outfitting.
Delivery: Deliveries to the RSN are planned to begin progressively from 2028.

New Landing Craft Prototypes

In August 2026, Singapore awarded a contract to Penguin Shipyard International to build two new landing craft prototypes (with the Fast Craft Utility (FCU) with an 18 tonne load perhaps displacing 45 tonnes fully loaded?) to support ship-to-shore operations and evaluate evolving defense requirements. 

Singapore orders new landing craft prototypes for its navy. See photo and details at Asian Military Review, August 26, 2026.
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Article assisted by Google AI, September 8, 2026.

Sub Propulsion Systems: LIBs, AIP, DRDO, FC2G, TKMS, IFEP

Over the last week, with the excitement of Canada choosing the TKMS Type 212CD and SubMatts reaching 10 million page views Shawn and Gessler made some very interesting comments that deserve revisiting, 

Because the comments are aimed at a dedicated submarine audience, with considerable assumed knowledge, the comments are frequently without explanation or expansion of all acronyms.

Two of the comments below articles were:

An interesting comment by Gessler of July 7, 2026

"Thanks for the great article [Indonesia starts Scorpene Evo production] Shawn!

It appears the Indonesians may have adopted the Japanese philosophy of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) being used to replace the AIP system, instead of supplementing it as on the German [TKMS] (and Indian) concepts of operation.

LIBs are particularly useful for high-speed bursts or any such relatively quick discharge of energy, which is something most traditional AIPs (including fuel-cell type) may not be capable of, to the same extent. Where the AIP excels however is in 'drip charging' the system, extending underwater endurance for increased on-station time and so on.

Using the two systems in conjunction (like on Type-212CD or India's upcoming P-75I) would create a lot of operational flexibility for diesel-electric submarines, but of course that comes at additional cost, weight (displacement) & complexity as compared to a LIB-only configuration. So there are several merits for going the LIB-only way unless the operating Navy has very specific requirements that call for a LIB + AIP setup.

In case Indonesia decides to 'upgrade' their Scorpene Evos during one of their scheduled refits a decade or so down the line, I wonder if they'd be interested in DRDO's Fuel-Cell AIP that India has developed for their own Scorpenes, provided the system is finally proven on an actual refitted Kalvari-class (Indian Scorpene) boat by that point. France's Fuel Cell 2nd Generation (FC2G) AIP system is also an option, though it too remains unproven on an actual submarine.

But I guess if Indonesia really wanted AIP, they'd have gone for it from the start. Oh well, who knows what the future holds.

Cheers Gessler"
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Shawn C replied July 8, 2026. "Hi Gessler! Apologies for the late response.

I took [Indonesian shipbuilder] PT PAL's president's claims as brand marketing and the usual "my next boat is better than your current boat" one-upmanship. Note that Singapore already has more submarines than Indonesia (4 in service, 1 working up, 1 fitting out).

I know TKMS has been conducting R&D on LIB batteries since 2014, and refitted a Type-212A in 2024 as a demonstrator - https://thedefensepost.com/2024/10/17/thyssenkrupp-battery-german-sub/

TKMS seems a few years behind the South Koreans and Japanese with LIB technology, but these batteries are supposed to be swappable "without design change" on the Type-209NG - https://www.tkmsgroup.com/submarines/submarine-classes/hdw-class-209

This implies that the Singaporean Invincible-class (Type-218SG) can switch to LIB when they come in for maintenance.

I have been curious of LIB use in military warship power generation for some years, especially as large cruise ships now use such systems to keep the lights on, example: https://corvusenergy.com/products/corvus-dolphin-nxtgen-ess-energy

Singapore's upcoming Victory-class MRCV will use IFEP with diesel power generation, but the use of LIB is not mentioned. LIB will act as a critical backup in damage control, for its ability to smooth out surges and keep high-energy critical systems, like AESA radar, powered."

Poland orders three Saab A-26 Type submarines, leases HSwMS Sodermanland

My ‘chats’ with Pete in the comments section of articles on Submarine Matters often meander away from the subject topic (eg. VSL in AIP boats). By coincidence, our recent discussion on diver/UUV lockout systems and Saab is bang on topic, as Poland has just ordered three A26-type submarines from Saab. These A26s are expected to be commissioned into the Polish Navy by 2038.

 

A26 in Polish Navy service. Image: Saab
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This order, worth approximately Swedish Krona (SEK) 47 billion (USD 4.8 billion), includes Saab “establishing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities in Poland in close collaboration with Polish industry, thereby supporting strategic autonomy for Poland”. Sweden is also leasing His Swedish Majesty's Ship HSwMS Sodermanland (see Wikipedia file) to Poland from 2026 to 2032 for training, and to “rapidly reinforce” Poland’s underwater capacity. Sodermanland is a forty-year-old submarine that received an overhaul in 2014-2016 and a lifetime extension in 2022. It will allow Polish submariners to train on Swedish systems, in preparation for the A26-class.

Sweden's official announcement also indicated that Poland will participate "in Sweden’s test and experiment activities with the HMS Blekinge and HMS Skåne", Sweden's A26 boats, which would mean that Poland is a development partner of the entire program, not simply an end-user customer.

A fascinating interview, here and above. How much can a Swedish Captain tell a Polish journalist on TV? Uploaded June 26, 2026 in Poland. TV Poland (TVP) World's Maciej Mikoson (pronounced Machi Emikos) interviews Royal Swedish Navy Captain Kenth Gutensparr, Project Manager and Coordinator for the training and support in the Swedish-Polish three A26 Orka Program. They discuss Sweden’s role regarding such issues as how long it will take to train Polish submariners to operate the A26s. Captain Gutensparr paints a discrete picture of Polish and Swedish strategic capabilities in the Baltic for the next decade.

Polish crew training will start in August 2026 at the Royal Swedish Navy’s Karlskrona base.

Shawn C’s commentary

Poland’s selection of the A26 in 2025 was seen by many as a godsend for a long-running submarine development program which began in 2010. Ordered in 2015 for delivery in 2022, the first A26 boat, HSwMS Blekinge, was laid down in June 2022, and is now expected for delivery in 2031.

In 2012, I fully expected Singapore, which had bought seven used submarines from Sweden's Kockums (before it was sold to Germany's TKMS) to order the A26, as this would lead to a billion-dollar cash infusion to Kockums to enable it to build its infrastructure. Then there were allegations (reported by SubMatts) that TKMS blocked Kockums from responding to Singapore’s 2012 submarine contest. This contributed to TKMS winning an order in 2013 for what is now currently six Invincible-class (TKMS Type-218SG) submarines. 

Kockums was then bought out by Saab in 2014, which coincidentally was also the year Russia illegally occupied the Ukrainian provinces of Crimea and Donbas. Saab immediately restarted the A26 program, with Sweden placing it's order for two A26s  in 2015.

In 2024, Sweden, now a NATO member with expanded treaty commitments, still has outdated submarine yards at Karlskrona and Landskrona. Those yards have not built new submarines since the last Gotland-class boat, HSwMS Halland, was launched in 1996! So Poland’s ‘buy-in’ on the A26 should see significant Polish investment and industrial offsets, including technical staff training and technology transfer, as Polish companies become part of the A26 project supply chain. In Poland, Sweden also gains a naval partner with the facilities to build 7,000-ton modern warships, which Saab currently lacks. 

Sweden also had a follow-on plan in 2024 to replace the three Gotland boats with smaller A30 boats (see last paragraph here) in the late 2030s. But with Poland's order of three A26s, Saab Kockums will soon have a hot production yard and achieve economies of scale, so we could see follow-on orders for the A26 from Sweden.

No information on the systems and weapons fit of Poland's A26 has been revealed, though Saab did display a possible Polish model with vertical launch systems (VLS) at defence trade shows. As Pete mentioned in his article on Canada's CPSP, a VSL module would add a significant displacement to a 2,000-ton AIP submarine, impacting range, speed and endurance.

Saab A26 model with VLS. Image: militaraktuell.at
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Could Polish A26s come equipped with Saab's Horizontal Multi-purpose Lock (HMPL), also called the Multi-Mission Portal (MMP)? This is very likely, considering that the A26 is optimised for the constrained waters of the Baltic Sea, and Saab has a Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (LUUV) that fits. The Lock/Portal's diameter might be anywhere between 1m and 1.5m.

The A26's HMPL/MMP under development in a Saab workshop. Image: Screenshot from a segment 4 to 8 minutes into this navalnews.com video
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16 or more Columbias due to Russian AND rising China Threats

Thanks Anonymous for your 5/10/2026 11:33 AM comment. 

More Than 12 Columbias?

Given rising threats from Russian and Chinese nuclear submarine fleets the US should strongly consider building more than the 12 scheduled Columbia-class SSBNs. More than 12 might already be a top secret intention.

-  For the US that will be 12 scheduled Columbias to construct until ~ 2043. In addition the US may well build 4 or more additional Columbias to achieve parity with an enlarged combination of new high quality threats (SSBNs and SSNs) from Russia and now also China. The China threat was not fully considered when the US was settling on Columbia production numbers in the 2010s. 

So potential threats to the US include:

    =   12 x Russian Borei SSBNs already built/building and 12 x Yasen SSNs built/building/planned

    =   China has not yet revealed its plans in nuclear submarine quality and quantity. However to build a global blue water nuclear submarine force China may want qualitive and quantitative parity with Russia and must also consider 4 to 6 x future Indian S5 SSBNs and up to 6 x Indian Project 77 SSNs as threats. 

     =   China has the shipbuilding capacity to design and high rate build 12+ x Type 096 SSBNs each with at least 16 x JL-3 or JL-4 SLBMs and 12+ x Type 095 SSNs.

Australia's AUKUS Needs?

Directly competing with the Columbia build is the Virginia SSN build and Virginia  maintenance programs. Indirectly, 3 to 5 Virginias earmarked for Australia under AUKUS, exacerbates problems with the Columbia build. 

More broadly all of Australia's real or imagined SSN allies (US, UK and France) are fully committed with current SSN construction. For example the Virginia program will reduce its construction drumbeat rate from 1.15 to 0.8 standard Virginias per year due to 1 Columbia per year being built from 2029. UK - final Astute(s) for UK Navy only, then straight to 15-20 years of Dreadnought SSBN production. France - final Suffrens for the French Navy only, then 20 years of SNLE-3G/newly named L'Invincible class SSBN production. All this prevents any spare SSN construction capacity for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). That is unless South Korea's formidable SSN production potential kicks in to save Australia. 

France is also building/planning 3-5 non-Suffren, non-SSBN designs namely 4 x Orkas for the Netherlands, 1 x Brazilian Álvaro Alberto SSN, and perhaps 2 classes of small Scorpenes for Indonesia and the Philippines.  

I'll write further on nuclear submarine considerations of the UK, France and Australia around May 19, 2026.

Singapore’s third Invincible-class (Type-218SG) submarine, RSS Illustrious, arrives

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has announced the arrival of the third Invincible-class (Type 218SG) submarine, RSS Illustrious. It sailed into Changi Naval Base on 10 April 2026, likely after it was delivered by the heavy transport ship, MV Rolldock Star, which is now anchored off Singapore. 

Image: MINDEF Singapore. RSS Illustrious docks at Changi Naval Base
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Singapore ceremonially launched the second and third boats of the class in December 2022. But while RSS Impeccable was delivered to Singapore and fully commissioned in September 2024 (alongside RSS Invincible), RSS Illustrious still required dockside fitting out and builder's trials until late 2025. 

The fourth boat of the class, RSS Inimitable, was launched in April 2024, and is now completing its builder's trials in Kiel Germany. RSS Inimitable will make its own journey to Singapore before 2028.

The Invincible-class are the most modern submarines in South East Asia, and will remain so until Thailand takes delivery of its much delayed S26T in late 2028.

Indonesia has two Scorpene Evo (for Evolved) on order. Indonesian national shipbuilder PT PAL will commence production in June 2026.

When will the Archer-class retire?

Image: Singapore Navy.
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I originally expected the RSN to retire both Archer-class submarines with the delivery of the third and fourth Invincible-class, to keep Singapore’s operational submarine force at four advanced AIP boats. But with the follow-on order for two more Type-218SG, confirmed in May 2025, my original expectations have been torpedoed, as it is very clear that the RSN has settled on a future submarine fleet size of six boats.

While the Archer boats were originally built in the mid-1980s as the first two Vastergotland-class SSKs, both were decommissioned in 1997 after a decade of service. Sold to Singapore in 2005, they underwent an extensive refit and upgrade that included tropicalization, air conditioning and a Stirling AIP module, before commissioning into the RSN in 2011 and 2013. 

While RSS Archer’s hull was built 40 years old, the boat has “only” been in commission in the RSN for 15 years, or 25 years if you include its HSwMS service. So it is quite conceivable that the RSN still regard the two Archers as capable and intend to keep them in service until the third batch of two Invincible boats is delivered by TKMS before 2034.

Singapore hosts major Submarine Rescue Exercise while HMS Prince of Wales sails in for FPDA

Singapore is now hosting Exercise Pacific Reach 2025, a multinational Submarine Escape and Rescue exercise (SMER) with 600 participating personal from Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Office (ISMERLO).

Image from X@indiannavy: Submarines and ships participating in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025
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This exercise is unique as it is the first time RSS Invincible is taking part in an international exercise, alongside two other AIP submarines, ROKS Shin Dol-seok and JS Kuroshiro. 

A mass evacuation exercise (MASSEVEX) was staged in the waters of Changi Naval Base to simulate the evacuation of a distressed submarine, and included simulated medical treatment of decompression injuries. 

Prince of Wales returns for the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) Bersama Lima 2025

Arriving at Changi Naval Base on 22 September 2025 was the RN flagship HMS Prince of Wales (PofW), which is on the return leg of the Carrier Strike Group CSG25 deployment. Speaking to USNI News on arrival, Commodore James Blackmore, RN CSG25 commander, highlighted that the strike group's arrival back in Singapore marks "the end of an incredible three months in this region where we have advanced military capabilities, understanding and cooperation with our partners and allies".

Image: British High Commission in Singapore. Prince of Wales berthed at Changi Naval Base
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Prince of Wales is now taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima 25, an annual exercise for the Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA) between Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. Australia is participating with 400 ADF personnel, F-35A jets, as well as the RAN frigate HMAS Ballarat, which is part of CSG25.

As I mentioned in my July 2025 article on PofW's first visit to Singapore, the last RN aircraft carrier to take part in an FPDA exercise was HMS Invincible in 1997. 

"NATO First" UK NUCLEAR STRIKE Aircraft Less Emphasis on UK Carriers

Shawn C. made some interesting comments on July 16, 2025. My response on carriers, aircraft and "NATO First" is: 

With the rise of expensive UK RN nuclear submarines the UK turned away from full size carriers for decades until the Queen Elizabeth (QE)-class emerged in 2017-2023. The preceding half or 2/3rds size Invincible-class carriers only had fairly small airwings (of RN Harriers). In the Falklands War the non-Invincible-class Hermes needed to be supplemented by carrier based RAF Harriers. 

So far the Queen Elizabeth (QE)-class, including HMS Prince of Wales, only have half (or less) of a full airwing of UK F-35Bs. That number may remain low because UK carriers are poorly adapted to the Russian threat in Europe and given emerging UK "NATO First" policies. Rather the QEs may have been designed mainly for counter-insurgency airstrikes - a declining mission for the UK. Since June 2025 (see 1/3rd down here) there has also been a pause on buying new F-35Bs for carriers. 

Other "NATO First" priorities may see the low numbers of UK surface ship escorts continue. The UK relies heavily on foreign escorts and US Marine F-35Bs for its carriers when UK carriers are in the Indo-Pacific.

NUCLEAR STRIKE AIRCRAFT

Announced by the UK Government on June 24, 2025 NATO First will include 12 new F-35As for the RAF for NUCLEAR STRIKE by 2030. The "nuclear" F-35As are instead of the original intention of buying 12 new conventionally armed F-35Bs for UK carriers. 

UK defence policy toward the Russian threat will include more conventionally armed F-35s as UK Typhoons are gradually retired over several decades. This may mean more than 100 F-35As or at least a mixture of 138 F-35As and Bs. Scroll a third way down here. F-35As carry a greater war load over longer ranges than F-35Bs, if As and Bs are not mid-air refueled. 

Also the UK Army needs expansion for anti-Russia European wars, particularly in armoured vehicles, artillery and small drones. 

More UK money spent on military aid to Ukraine may also mean less UK money available for the conventionally armed AND conventionally powered UK RN.

When the Carrier Prince of Wales Cruised into Singapore

From 23 June to early July 2025, the UK's Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) ("PofW") made a port visit to Singapore, to mark 60 years of relations with the UK and Singapore and to demonstrate the UK's commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

HMS Prince of Wales arrives at Singapore's Cruise Centre
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PofW leads the UK RN’s CSG25 Carrier Strike Group deployment, which held exercises in the Mediterranean with the Italian Navy around 5th May. CSG25 then cleared the Red Sea and conducted exercises via the Arabian Sea with the Indian Navy. There, one of the UK F-35Bs had a weather avoidance divert to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (on India's southern tip) and had to be left behind after a mechanical issue. CSG25 then split up for port visits to Port Klang (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Singapore.

Several of CSG25’s ships docked at the traditional berths for visiting warships in Singapore, at Changi Naval Base and Sembawang wharves. PofW docked at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre (photo above) which easily accommodated her. The main reason for CSG25’s visit, apart from stunning photos against the background of Singapore’s Central Business District, is that CSG25 was in Singapore to promote UK political and business interests.

PofW's docking at Marina Bay Cruise Centre therefore made it simpler for visiting guests and dignitaries. It also permitted the 1,600+ crew, in groups, to disembark quickly to catch a 15-minute Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) (subway) ride to Singapore's city centre.

In the photo above there are, what look like, a large number of marine security cameras. These may be used against commando/terrorist would be boarders, divers, suicide boats and shallow diving UUVs. These, perhaps fixed or mobile, cameras might be aimed horizontally and "look" down. Immediately below the walkway, on the bridge, there appears to be a large electro-optical sensor (camera) that may have night vision and infrared capabilities. It may be used to cover the rear half of the vessel for security and aircraft movement management duties. All these close range security cameras and sensors may have been to counter slow moving threats. They may have been installed before the rise of faster (and from longer ranges) one-way "kamikaze" UAVs and USVs, which can strike a high value target simultaneously from many directions.

 

During her stay PofW permitted the Singapore public to visit. A friend visited the ship who took these photos for me, and did not want to be credited. In its hangars PofW hosted a “defence and security” industry day (showcasing 30 British firms, including the Gravity Industries Jet Suit) and an Esports (video game) tournament. 

The last Royal Navy ship named HMS Prince of Wales to visit Singapore was the ill-fated King George V-class battleship . It jointly sank the Bismarck in May 1941, then later sailed to the "Far East" sailing into Singapore on 2 December 1941. It left on 8 December 1941, leading Force Z, to interdict an approaching Japanese invasion fleet, before being sunk by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941. 

May the current HMS Prince of Wales enjoy a far brighter future than her predecessor and fair seas throughout her career. 

Note CCTV cameras directly under bridge that are angled to monitor deck crews.

CSG25, joined by HMAS Sydney, has now departed Singapore and will participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 in Australian waters, but on the return leg. CSG25 will also participate in Bersama Lima 25, the annual Five Power Defence Act (FPDA) exercise between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK. According to the Straits Times, the last time a UK RN aircraft carrier took part in a FPDA exercise was HMS Invincible in 1997.

In mid-July HMS Prince of Wales is due to make a port visit to Darwin, Australia, then later to Japan, back near Southeast Asia, India and then via the Red Sea, Mediterranean, back to the UK.