Singapore to buy 2 more submarines and introduce new ‘Titan’ infantry fighting vehicle

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) plans to buy two more submarines to add to its current fleet of four, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced on Monday (Mar 3).

The Singapore Army will also acquire a new infantry fighting vehicle named “Titan”, which comes wheeled and, for the first time, with firepower significantly enhanced through a 30mm cannon as a remote weapon system.

The Titan will also be equipped with capabilities to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

The army’s long-range High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher will also be upgraded to more capable rockets. It has been in service since 2010.

HIMARS has been useful and effective for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, said Dr Ng.

The minister gave these updates as he laid out the Ministry of Defence’s (MINDEF) spending plans in parliament. 

The Republic of Singapore started building four German, custom-made, Invincible-class submarines in 2017. All of them are on track to be operational by around 2028, said Dr Ng.

The first two were already fully operationalised in September last year. 

“But four submarines are not optimal for a fleet,” said Dr Ng. “Our submarines are subjected to more rigorous and frequent maintenance cycles with stringent checks; as you can imagine, they need to operate under intense pressure, literally.

“Operational time is conversely reduced relatively. This is why most navies that operate submarines have more than four – Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam – to name a few of our close neighbours,” he added. 

“Having proven that the Invincible-class submarines can perform to 
expectations in tropical waters, the SAF plans to procure two more submarines, to make up a total of six, as the steady state for our submarine fleet.” 

UPGRADES AT SEA AND IN THE AIR

The navy will also launch its first multi-role combat vessels (MRCVs) later this year. Six of them were earlier acquired as replacements for an ageing fleet of Victory-class missile corvettes in service since 1989.

The MRCVs are larger and have greater range – about three times further – than the corvettes.

“The MRCV is actually not one ship but a mothership with unmanned platforms. Together with its suite of advanced sensors and combat systems, she will strengthen the navy’s ability to safeguard our maritime interests,” said Dr Ng. 

Up in the skies, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is looking into appropriate replacements for its Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft, which for three decades have provided surveillance and protected the seaward defence and sea lines of communication of Singapore.

Specifically, the Boeing P-8A and Airbus C295 are being evaluated.

The former is flown by the US Navy, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force, to name a few. 

Meanwhile, the Airbus C295 has been acquired by countries such as Chile and Spain for anti-submarine warfare missions.

On Monday, Dr Ng also noted the establishment of an F-35 and F-16 fighter jet training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas in the US.

Singapore recently confirmed the purchase of F-35As from the US, with Dr Ng earlier announcing the decision to acquire eight more of those jets during last year’s MINDEF budget debate. 

Ebbing was shortlisted after careful feasibility studies between the RSAF and the US Air Force, which included factors such as suitability of location and training area, infrastructure and logistics support. 

“These moves reflect the strength of our defence relationship with the US, and the continued commitment to a multi decade partnership. We thank the US for their support,” said Dr Ng. 

“With these added capabilities for air, land, and sea, the SAF as a relatively small military would have transformed itself with state-of-the-art platforms comparable to advanced militaries elsewhere and fit for our security purposes.”