A model of the MRCV, on display for the first time at IMDEX 2025 in Singapore. The programme’s first of class is slated to be launched in October 2025. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)
Singapore is set to launch the first of its new multirole combat vessels (MRCVs) in October, marking a major milestone in the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN’s) fleet renewal programme.
Its launch comes just one year after the keel for the first vessel was laid down in October 2024, and just months after steel was cut for the second ship in April 2025.
Singapore established the MRCV programme to replace the RSN’s ageing Victory-class corvettes, which have been in service since 1990.
In March 2023, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence awarded ST Engineering the contract to design and build six MRCVs.
This announcement followed a memorandum of understanding signed between the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and Saab to co-develop the vessels.
The ship will displace about 8,000 tonnes and measure approximately 150 m in overall length, making it the largest surface combatant to be operated by Singapore.
It will feature a twin-screw propulsion system with controllable pitch propellers and a bulbous bow that can accommodate a hull-mounted sonar for anti-submarine warfare.
Based on details seen in models of the vessel, the MRCV’s weapons suite includes a 76 mm naval gun in the forward position, two automatic cannons mounted diagonally above the aviation hangar, and what appears to be a 16-cell vertical launch system located just ahead of the wheelhouse.
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