The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) have expanded its fleet of maritime vehicles in the last few days.
On 7 May 2025, the Ministry of Defence announced the acquisition of a suite of uncrewed systems for its mine counter measure (MCM) operations, contracting the domestic supplier ST Engineering.
The specific systems include uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). However, it is not clear how many of each type the Navy have agreed to purchase.
Yesterday (8 May), the government followed this with another announcement: the Navy has opted for two more Invincible-class conventionally powered submarines (SSKs), on top of its four existing boats, from the German supplier Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems.
Hybrid force structure
Singapore appears to be restructuring its fleet to deploy a new, and increasingly common, naval force structure. Many navies are moving towards a network-centric fleet in which they deploy a range of systems for particular effects.
In this case, Singapore will transition from its four legacy Bedok-class surface ships, which had served as minehunters, with a collection of disaggregated uncrewed systems that perform specific MCM duties above or below the water. The suite of individual systems will be connected to provide command and control with a holistic picture of the battlespace with real-time actionable insight and effectors through a secure network.
Both USV and AUV types will operate in unison, the systems will be integrated with advanced sensors to detect and classify mines.
The suite of MCM uncrewed systems will be delivered from 2027 onwards.
Notably, the USVs will also incorporate a collision detection and collision avoidance algorithm that enables the vessel to navigate and operate in the busy traffic common in the Singapore Strait.
“Building on our success in delivering the Maritime Security [USVs] for the RSN, we aim to push the boundaries of USVs and AUVs for MCM operations with [artificial intelligence (AI)], enabling real-time data analysis for faster, more informed decisions,” confirmed Low Jin Phang, president of digital systems at ST Engineering.
According to GlobalData intelligence, the global military Uncrewed Maritime Vehicles market, valued at $1.8bn in 2025 is projected to reach $32bn in the next ten years.
USVs account for 58% of the market, followed closely by underwater vehicles with a 42% share.
However, this new force structure, sped up by AI, is still balanced by the procurement of larger, traditional platforms such as submarines to perform a strategic level role.
According to the ‘Singapore Defense Market 2025-2030’ report, published by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, the RSN already operate two of these SSKs (RSSs Invincible and Impeccable). Two more boats are undergoing sea trials and are expected to enter service before the end of 2025. Now, another two boats are in the pipeline, bringing the total up to six SSKs.
Invincible-class SSKs
The RSN will grow its SSK fleet to ensure their “ability to protect our sea lines of communication.” Submarines will provide another layer of protection beyond the new suite of USVs and AUVs.
The Invincible-class, also known as Type 218SG, is based on the German Type 214 with features from the 212A design with its X-rudder and air independent propulsion.
Type 212A has become a model for several new SSK iterations in the European submarine market such as the German and Norwegian Common Design and the Italian New Future Submarine.
The boats have an overall length of 70 metres (m) and a diameter of 6.3m and have the capacity to accommodate 28 crew members. The displacement of the vessel is 2,000 tonnes (t) when surfaced and 2,200t when submerged.
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