Newly launched MRCV Valour and her first-in-class sister vessel are expected to enter operational service with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) within two to three years.
RSS Valour, the second of six Multi-Role Combat Vessels (MRCVs), hit the water for the first time at ST Engineering’s Benoi Shipyard towards the end of July.
Set to be the largest warships in the RSN, the 150-metre MRCVs are designed to operate as motherships for uncrewed systems, offering mission flexibility and extended endurance to fleet commanders.
The warships feature a raised Modular Mission Deck amidships that accommodates up to eight containerised modules to rapidly swap out drone types or payload configurations.
First-in-class warship RSS Victory was launched in October 2025; she is due to enter operational service in 2028 with RSS Valour expected to follow suit in 2029. Ships three and four in the programme, Vigilance and Valiant, are also already under construction.
The design is the result of a merged proposal from two former competitors for the MRCV programme, Swedish firm Saab Kockums and Danish firm Odense Maritime Technology (OMT), supported by Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).
Saab Kockums’ Visby-class corvette-derived design supplied the MRCV’s combat and propulsion systems, while OMT was responsible for the hull design and payload management system, drawn from Danish Absalon- and Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates.
At RSS Valour’s launch ceremony Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam commented: “It is a fundamental national priority for us to keep our maritime approaches secure, open and free. In fact, it’s a matter of survival. The MRCV strengthens our Navy’s ability to help us fulfil this mission.
“The future security environment continues to evolve. We will not be able to predict every challenge that we will face. But we can build platforms that can adapt and respond to a wide range of scenarios, and evolve alongside those challenges.”
As per a Singapore Ministry of Defence press statement, the second-in-class warship is now set to undergo final outfitting, platform and combat systems integration, and then sea trials.
It stated: “In parallel, pioneer MRCV crew will also begin training to prepare them to operationalise the ship in the coming years. The MRCVs will be delivered progressively from 2028 onwards.”
- You can read more details on the Singapore Ministry of Defence website
