Singapore navy's final three littoral mission vessels now operational

The final three of the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) high-tech, locally built ships turned fully operational yesterday.

All eight littoral mission vessels (LMVs) can now be deployed for operations and respond to maritime threats facing Singapore.

RSS Fortitude, RSS Dauntless and RSS Fearless joined five other LMVs to replace the ageing Fearless-class patrol vessels, which have been in service for more than 20 years.

Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, who officiated at the commissioning ceremony at Tuas Naval Base, said that the commissioning of the last three was an important milestone.

This was due to Singapore's reliance on the maritime trade and its susceptibility to a range of maritime threats, from piracy to terrorist attacks.

"We have even more reason to take pride in the vessels because they are quintessentially Singaporean, being designed and built in Singapore, by Singaporeans, for Singaporeans," she said in her speech.

Mrs Teo, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs, said the LMVs are a testament to Singapore's determination to defend its way of life despite its constraints.

The LMVs were designed to overcome the manpower limitations that the navy feels more intensely, she said, as the smallest of the three services in the Singapore Armed Forces.

For instance, while sensors on warships were traditionally exposed to the elements and needed frequent maintenance, the LMVs' sensors are housed in the masts, which shield them from the harsh maritime environment, she said.

"Coupled with easier access to the sensors from within the ships, the LMVs have been able to halve the workload for maintenance compared to the patrol vessels they replace," said Mrs Teo.

She congratulated the navy, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), ST Engineering and other defence industry partners for the successful completion of all eight LMVs in 4½ years since the first was launched.

The first-of-class RSS Independence was launched in July 2015 and commissioned two years later by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, after the LMV project started in 2010.

Since then, the vessels have been involved in round-the-clock patrols of Singapore's waters, search-and-rescue operations, exercises with foreign navies, and security operations such as during the Kim-Trump Summit in Singapore in 2018.

"When we had a dispute with our neighbours over our territorial waters, our LMVs were there to stand guard and defend our sovereign rights," said Mrs Teo.

Major Chew Chun Cheong, commanding officer of RSS Fearless, said one key advantage that the LMVs have over the patrol vessels they replace is the ability to have high-fidelity connection to the headquarters on shore, such that they can see what the ship sees.

"I think the next milestone for us is to maximise the efficiency of the platform and to make the best use of it," he told reporters.

Mr Jeffrey Tan, a senior programme manager for naval systems at DSTA, said: "I don't see this as the end of the LMV journey. On the contrary, today, we are still working very closely with the RSN to obtain operational feedback."

He added that DSTA is also working to enhance the LMVs, such as by collecting data and using data analytics to detect anomalies and potential issues early for predictive maintenance.