MINDEF confirms Singapore buying rocket system, related equipment from the US
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The deal is worth more than US$83 million (S$107 million), according to the US State Department.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has confirmed that it is purchasing guided multiple launch rocket system-alternative warhead (GMLRS-AW) pods and related equipment from the United States.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, MINDEF said the M30A2 GMLRS-AW pods, part of the Singapore Armed Forces’ High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), were acquired based on the SAF’s training and operational requirements.
“This is part of MINDEF and SAF’s multi-year procurement effort to ensure operational readiness and meet Singapore’s defence needs,” the ministry added.
The US State Department had earlier announced that it had approved a possible sale of the GMLRS-AW and related equipment in a deal worth more than US$83 million (S$107 million).
The Singapore Government had requested to buy 45 M30A2 GMLRS-AW pods, a notice to Congress dated April 1 read. The US Congress needs to sign off on the transaction, with the estimated total cost at US$83.14 million.
The potential military sale will include non-major defence equipment items, spanning telemetry kits, engineering services, technical assistance and other related elements of logistics and programme support, the notice said.
The notice to the US Congress said: “This proposed sale will enhance the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner that is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Asia.”
The principal contractor will be defence and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.
The GMLRS is the primary round for the MLRS family of rocket launchers, comprising the HIMARS and M270, according to a Lockheed Martin media fact sheet.
HIMARS – operated by the 23rd Battalion of the Singapore Artillery – was commissioned in Singapore in 2011 by then Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen. In March 2025, Dr Ng said the HIMARS will be upgraded with more capable rockets.
