Saab of Sweden and ST Engineering from Singapore are once again teaming up to offer a variant of the Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV) for the Estonian Navy.
The 80-meter-long vessel is operated by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) in the form of the Independence-class, eight of which are among the key vessels of the RSN, where the Basic Design was performed by Saab Kockums and ST Engineering Marine performed the detailed design and construction.
The LMV is designed by Saab with lean manning as one of the key design requirements, with a crew of just 23. The vessel is relatively lightly armed, with a single deck gun, lighter weapons, and the possibility to mount a small number of air defence missiles such as the VL Mica which is used on the Independence-class. Despite this, the vessels would mark a significant increase in capability for the Estonian Navy, which currently is operating a limited number of mine warfare and patrol vessels as their sole naval vessels. This capability increase is further underscored by a helicopter deck able to support unmanned systems or a medium-sized helicopter, such as the S-70B Seahawk in use by Singapore, as well as the flexible multi-mission bay situated below the helicopter deck. The bay can mount up to four 20-foot containers, and opens up towards the stern, where a ramp able to fit two light boats or unmanned vessels side-by-side is fitted.
Saab and ST Engineering believe that this flexibility coupled with small crew are what sets their offer apart from the competition, and makes it uniquely suited to the Estonian requirements. The ability to operated different unmanned platforms from the vessel is envisioned as one of the key roles for the upcoming Estonian requirement, something which aligns well with the manned/unmanned teaming approach employed by the Independence-class. The multi-mission bay coupled with the stern ramp means that platform can also function as a minelayer, a weapon-system Estonia has acquired back in 2021 without acquiring a new dedicated platform for the laying of mines.
The combination of Saab with a strong presence in the Baltic Sea region and ST Engineering with their backing from the Republic of the Singapore Navy offer additional synergies. Saab’s combat naval solutions (CMS 9LV, Giraffe Surveillance radar, etc.) are in widespread use among key allied navies Estonia operate closely with, and several of these systems are developed with a focus on the littoral environment the Estonian Navy is mostly operating in. At the same time, the LMV being in operational use by Singapore means that the vessel represents a tried and tested solution, and opens up the opportunity of using the training solutions and pipelines – including two full-sized bridge simulators – created for the needs of Singapore for any vessels built for export.
While waiting for the upcoming 10-year plan for the development of the Estonian Navy, Saab and ST Engineering are currently hard at work looking for local partners who can both offer additional value to the production of the vessels – possibly including building the hulls locally – and ensure their eventual offer will meet any requirements for local content that can be expected.
