According to the US "Defense News" website on May 8, the ship models equipped by the naval forces of many Southeast Asian countries are chaotic and unsystematic. However, Singapore has carefully planned and built its naval power, and some of it has begun to show results, and more plans are being promoted.

  On April 25, Singapore shipbuilding company Xinke Engineering Maritime Co., Ltd. held a steel plate cutting ceremony for the Navy's second multi-purpose combat ship. In the past few weeks, two new offshore patrol ships of the Singapore Navy have also laid keels. These two new-class naval ships will be put into service in 2028.

  Singapore plans to purchase six frigate-sized multipurpose combat ships, which, in accordance with the country's Ministry of Defense, "will play the role of a mothership to control unmanned equipment assets in the air, surface and underwater." These ships will maximize automation systems, artificial intelligence and data analytics to reduce crew members.

  As for offshore patrol ships, they will replace the temporary substitute "Sentinel" class patrol ships to perform security maintenance tasks in Singapore's waters. The hulls of these ships are being built in the Western Baltic shipyard in Lithuania, and then installed and commissioned by Fasmer in Germany.

  However, the modernization process of the Singapore Navy has not stopped at the above-mentioned ships. On March 3, Singapore announced that it would increase its defense budget by 12.3%, bringing the total defense budget expenditure to Singapore 23.4 billion (about US$18 billion) in the new fiscal year.

  The main content related to the Singapore Navy in the budget is to purchase two additional 218SG diesel-electric submarines.

  The first two 218SG submarines built by Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Company have been in service in September 2024, and the other two signed in 2017 will be in service in 2028.

  Gao Ruilian, an analyst at the Institute of Defense and Strategy of the Singapore Rajalenan International Research Institute, told the reporter of the "Defense News" website that the reasons for building more submarines are obvious.

  "Singapore may have noticed the ongoing naval construction in the region, including in the subsea area, and will work to build reliable submarine capabilities, with plans to build a complete formation of six submarines," he said. He said a larger fleet would give the city-state "higher combat flexibility and greater deterrence."

  In addition, with the help of the French Navy Group, Xinke Engineering Maritime Co., Ltd. is modernizing six "magnificent"-class frigates of the Singapore Navy. This is thanks to a contract announced in December 2023 that included a replacement for the Blue Spear anti-ship missile.

  In the field of unmanned equipment, the Singapore Navy officially launched a small fleet of 16.9-meter-long maritime security unmanned surface ships in January this year. These unmanned ships have been put into use in 2023 and have now achieved completely unmanned operations. (Translated by Lu Di)

  A Singapore Navy warship (AFP profile photo)

[Editor in charge: Wang Jinzhi]