The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has commissioned the first two of four Invincible-class submarines, RSS Invincible and RSS Impeccable.
Prime Minister (PM) and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong officiated the commissioning ceremony at RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base on September 24, 2024.
Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen and other senior officials from the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) were also present.
According to MINDEF, RSS Invincible and RSS Impeccable are now fully operational, and together with the RSN’s existing fleet of submarines, ships and units, they will fulfil a wide spectrum of operations to safeguard Singapore’s waters, protect its sea lines of communication and contribute to regional peace and security.
Built and launched in Kiel, Germany, the Invincible-class submarines are designed for operations in Singapore’s shallow and busy tropical waters. MINDEF said they possess “state-of-the-art” capabilities, including high levels of automation, significant payload capacity, enhanced underwater endurance and optimized ergonomics.
They will replace the Challenger and Archer submarines that are now more than 60 years and 40 years old respectively, and the cost of purchasing them was revealed to be $1.8 billion.
To note, the development of the other two Invincible-class submarines, Illustrious and Inimitable, is progressing in Germany, and they are expected to return to Singapore by 2028.