Saab press release
The contract includes the detailed design, production, and final assembly, of the composite superstructures for the MRCVs.
The low weight of the composite superstructure reduces the centre of gravity, thereby enhancing the stability of the MRCV. Having been responsible for the basic design of the MRCVs, Saab would continue to work in close collaboration with DSTA, RSN, partners, and the shipbuilder to deliver the MRCVs to the RSN beginning from 2028.
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About MRCV
The MRCV design – resembling ST Engineering’s own Vanguard 130 concept that is 130m long and displaces 5,000 tonnes – features an integrated mast, stern flight deck, helicopter hangar and twin stern ramps for deploying small craft. A strong candidate for the integrated mast must be the Saab Lightweight Integrated Mast (SLIM), since it is already employed on Singapore’s eight Independence-class vessels.
The MRCV will replace six 595-tonne Victory-class missile corvettes within the RSN, but Singapore’s MINDEF remains tight-lipped about exact specifications and equipment. However, it is obvious that the MRCVs will be far more capable and larger than the six-corvette Victory class that dates from the early 1990s.
Naval News learned from various industry sources during IMDEX Asia 2023 that the MRCV would have a displacement of around 8,000 tons and a crew complement of about 80 sailors, indicating a high level of automation in the platform. Naval News understand that the mothership vessels would feature:
- Leonardo’s 76mm naval gun in the STRALES variant;
- MBDA’s VL MICA NG and Aster B1 NT air defence missiles;
- ST Engineering / IAI Blue Spear anti-ship missiles;
- Thales’ SeaFire multifunction radar (in four fixed array configuration as aboard the FDI frigate);
- Safran’s PASEO XLR EO/IR system;
- Safran’s NGDS decoy launching system.
The MRCV is set to become the first surface combatant fitted with a combination of ASTER and VL MICA missiles. The RSN is an existing user of both missiles: ASTER are fitted aboard the Formidable-class frigates while VL-MICA are fitted aboard the Littoral Mission Vessels.
You can watch the coverage of Naval News on MRCV at IMDEX Asia 2023.
