ST Engineering Marine has laid the keel for the third multi-role combat vessel (MRCV) being built for the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
The keel-laying ceremony is a time-honoured tradition in shipbuilding, commemorating the ‘birth’ of a new ship cradled in its shipyard.
The keel-laying follows the launch of the second MRCV, Valour, at ST Engineering’s Benoi Shipyard in July. Valour was the second of six MRCVs planned for the RSN. The first vessel, Victory, was launched in October 2025. The six ships are scheduled to be delivered progressively from 2028.
ST Engineering Marine said the program has also reached 2 million man-hours without a lost-time injury (LTI). The company is working with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence, the RSN, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and industry partners on the program.
The MRCVs are being developed as multi-mission warships combining the combat capabilities of a modern frigate with the ability to serve as motherships for unmanned systems. The vessels will be capable of deploying and controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles, extending their surveillance and operational reach across the air, surface and underwater domains.
According to Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, the MRCVs will be 150 metres long, displace about 8,000 tonnes and have a range exceeding 7,000 nautical miles, with an endurance of more than 21 days. They will have a baseline crew of fewer than 100 personnel, supported by extensive automation.
The ships are also designed around a modular mission concept. Each MRCV will be able to accommodate up to eight containerised mission modules, allowing the ships to be configured for different tasks, including high-end naval operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
For combat operations, the MRCVs will feature advanced sensors and weapons, including a Thales multi-function radar, Thales fire-control radar, Safran electro-optical system and hull-mounted sonar. The planned weapons suite includes the 76 mm STRALES guided gun, MK30-C 30 mm remotely controlled weapon systems, MICA and Aster surface-to-air missiles, and a surface-to-surface missile system.
The MRCV program is intended to provide a significant increase in capability over the RSN’s Victory-class Missile Corvettes, which have been in service since 1989. Singapore signed a contract with ST Engineering in 2023 for the detailed design and construction of six MRCVs.