Singapore Army's HIMARS Featured In Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile Animation

 

Singapore Army HIMARS 21641MID in LMC PrSM animation.

The actual Singapore HIMARS with registration number 21641MID.
Photo : HR586 Emergency Collection via FB

I am not sure how many people noticed this, but Lockheed Martin's concept video for its Precision Strike Missile ( PrSM ) actually featured a Singapore Army HIMARS launching two missiles at what seemed like a S-400 surface-to-air missile battery and a forward arming and refueling point. The dead giveaway is the M1140 truck's vehicle registration number 21641MID which is unique to military vehicles of the Singapore Armed Forces ( SAF ). It is truly befuddling why a US Army deep strike weapon system which is still under development should feature a launch vehicle belonging to a foreign nation. Did Singapore co-sponsor the PrSM program or did it request to buy the PrSM? It seems very unlikely but who knows? You can watch the video below or on Youtube here. Update 2 Jun 2022 : It seems that this video is no longer available on Youtube.

Precision Strike Missile

The PrSM has its origins in the US Army's Long Range Precision Fires Program. It is a next-generation, extended range, all-weather, surface-to-surface missile that will give the ground commander an enhanced capability to attack, neutralise, suppress and destroy critical and time-sensitive point and area targets. 

It is compatible with the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System ( MRLS ) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System ( HIMARS ) family of launchers, complementing existing GPS guided rocket munitions and will ultimately replace the increasing obsolete MGM-140 ATACMS. 

It uses inertial navigation system with GPS for guidance and features insensitive munition propulsion system and payload. It adopts an open systems architecture and modular design for future growth. 

With an official range of 60 to 500+km, the PrSM almost doubles the 300km maximum range of the ATACMS. It is physically narrower and can be packed two to a pod, doubling the ATACMS loadout. Lockheed Martin has since 10th Dec 2019 successfully flight tested the PrSM a total of four times consecutively, with the most recent test on 12th May 2021 at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, demonstrating a 400km range. It is expected to enter service in 2023 and achieve IOC in Q4FY2025.

PrSM Inaugural flight test 10th Dec 2019. 
Photo : LMC

Image : US Army Acquisition Support Center

PrSM Artist's Impression. Image : LMC

Implausible Scenarios

This promotional video is best taken with a huge pinch of salt since it is really just advertisement for Lockheed Martin Corporation ( LMC ) which is the prime contractor for PrSM. It also features another of its product the F-35 Lightning II. 

A pair of F-35 on a deep strike mission discovers a hostile surface-to-air missile ( SAM ) site and a forward arming and refueling point ( FARP ) and designates them as targets. Their coordinates are communicated to the Combat Air Operations Center ( CAOC ). In the true spirit of joint operations, instead of calling for more Air Force assets to attack these targets or diverting the F-35s to deal with them, CAOC sends the fire mission data to a field artillery brigade that is within range using AFATDS ( Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System ), the fire support command and control system used by both the US Army and Marine Corps.

As a result a single HIMARS bearing a Singapore vehicle registration number is dispatched and proceeds to launch two PrSM at the designated enemy targets, destroying both in no time with their accurate flight trajectory and their high performance pre-formed fragmentation warheads. 

The main target of the PrSM is a SAM site more than 500km away with what looks like the LEMZ 96L6E Cheese Board multimode acquisition radar for the S-400 Triumf ( NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler ) system, one of the most advanced long range air-defense system developed by Russia. It will be impossible for such valuable assets not to be guarded by a layered air-defense system which will include a tonne of short-range point defense like the Pantsir-S1. Indeed the video shows three domes representing the airspace protected by the hostile short, medium and long-range missiles of the SAM site. It will be totally unrealistic for a single precision strike missile to be able to penetrate a well defended SAM site without being first discovered and subsequently shot down. More likely salvos from multiple HIMARS will have to be launched against such protected sites to have even a remote chance of achieving a kill.

SAM Site 96L6E acquisition radar look-alike.

LEMZ 96L6E Cheese Board acquisition radar.
Photo : Globalsecurity.org

PrSM moments before detonation over what looks like
the 92N6E Grave Stone engagement radar.

PrSM warhead detonation with pre-formed fragments.

The same argument goes for the second target, a FARP which is usually located at or near the forward edge of the battle area to re-arm and refuel helicopters. Would the enemy be so silly to leave it unguarded?

And why would LMC feature a Singapore Army HIMARS in the animation? The SAF does have the HIMARS in its inventory and has recently placed an order for four F-35B stealth fighters but these are for deterrence and defensive purposes only. Singapore is a tiny nation in South-east Asia and cannot afford any armed conflict with its neighbors or any country. It will be very far fetched to imagine the Singapore Army aiding the US in attacking a foreign nation be it China, Russia or Turkey, all of which possess the S-400 SAM system. 

MID Vehicle Registration Number

 

   

All vehicles operated by the SAF are assigned a unique registration number comprising of usually a five digit number followed by a MID suffix, for example 33828MID. MID stands for Ministry of Interior and Defense and is truely a legacy of the past.

Immediately after Singapore gained independence in 1965, the Ministry of Interior and Defense was established and it was responsible for both the internal and external security of the young nation, controlling the Police Force as well as the SAF. It was only in 1970 that the Ministry of Interior and Defense was split into the Ministry of Defense ( MINDEF ) and the Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA ). 

The MID vehicle number system dates from that era and is still in use for military vehicles today even though the Ministry of Interior and Defense is long gone. So armoured vehicles like tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, utility vehicles like trucks and jeeps, even motorcycles all bear this five digit MID vehicle registration number. The exception will be the limousines for receiving visiting dignitaries and staff cars assigned to high ranking commanders ( battalion commanders and above / commanding officers of ships ). These will have single, double or triple digit numbers followed by the MID suffix, for example 1 MID.

A truck and safety vehicle with typical SAF registration numbers.
Photo : Singapore Army via FB

Another SAF HIMARS on maneuver.
Photo : Singapore Army via FB

  

Just An Animation

The PrSM concept video is just an animation to showcase the potential of LMC's latest surface-to-surface missile. It may not necessarily stick to real world scenarios though it should have, in order to make it as realistic and convincing as it possible to woo prospective buyers. I must however add that the US government is probably the only prospective customer for now.

The inclusion of a foreign HIMARS in the video could be a simple mistake of the animators who might have just taken a photo of the launch vehicle from the internet without knowing that it does not belong to the US Army and copied it wholesale. The SAF's HIMARS are regularly deployed in the biennial Forging Sabre series of exercise with the US military in various locations including Arizona and Utah. So it may not be inconceivable that some could have been mistaken for those belonging to the US Army. You can see some of SAF's HIMARS in action ( 3:42 - 4:56 ) in the video below or here.

On a separate note, the PrSM is a missile system with a huge potential for growth. Unhindered by the 500km range limitation imposed by the now defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the US is free to develop, test and field a new generation of surface-to-surface missile as it desires. Already, there is talk about giving the PrSM what the US Army terms mid-range capability, defined as 1600km ( 1000 miles ) or more. So we can reasonably expect extended-range PrSM in the near future, just like the ER GMLRS.

The PrSM is currently able to strike only stationary or fixed targets but eventually new multi-mode seekers that can home in on the enemy's communications and radar emissions and perhaps infra-red signatures will be integrated to allow for striking moving targets such as ships at sea or maneuvering land units. The US Army had already began testing this advanced seeker since June 2020. When available this will make the PrSM a very powerful anti-access / area denial weapon for littoral and maritime environments especially in its extended-range iteration. 

Maybe in the foreseeable future, the PrSM might really find its way into the rocket pods of Singapore's HIMARS. Until then, the M30 / M31 GMLRS rockets will have to suffice.

From Singapore 70km GMLRS range covers most of southern Johor.

500km PrSM range covers most of West Malaysia and Sumatra

1600km ER PrSM covers half of South China Sea including the Spratly Islands

Singapore To Acquire F-35B

 Photo : Lockheed Martin

Here for the commentary on Singapore's F-35B acquisition.

 

 

 

Sumimasen, Is That The Singapore Lion On Your Logo Mark?

 



Logo mark of JDS Ise ( DDH-182 )



The other day I was just browsing the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ( JMSDF ) website like I always used to now and then. They have recently launched the Maya-class Aegis destroyer Haguro ( DDG-180 ) and there is an open campaign for the design of the ship's logo mark. That's what the Japanese call the ship's crest or ship's emblem, the logo mark ( ロゴマーク rogo maku ). It's a routine publicity exercise for the JMSDF and they have conducted these competitions whenever there is a launch of a major vessel in the past few years. To let the designers have an idea of what would be expected, JMSDF kindly provided some references of the logo marks of several of their ships in active service. All seems well until something very out of the place caught my eye : the logo mark of the helicopter carrier Ise.

It may initially look like any other ship crest with the usual sword, shield, rope, ship name, pennant number and ship's motto but the red lion head motif stood out like a sore thumb as it is undoubtedly almost an exact copy of the national symbol of Singapore.

The reference logo marks on JMSDF website :
Kaga, Izumo, Maya, Ise, Hyuga and Murasame.

More reference logo marks from JMSDF FB

 The Two Lions



The Lion Head, a national symbol of Singapore
in pantone 032 ( red ).
Downloaded from National Heritage Board, Singapore

The Ise lion head for comparison



Comparing the two lion logos, it is not difficult to see that the Ise lion is a slightly modified version of the Singapore lion. Minor changes were made to the eye, the chin, the nose and the mane but the general outline of the logo does not differ much from the original Singapore lion. The similarities are too striking to be ignored.

But how would we know which is the original and which is the copy? Consider this : the Singapore lion logo has been designated a national symbol by the government of Singapore since 1986 while the helicopter carrier Ise was only launched in August 2009 and commissioned in March 2011. Its current logo mark was therefore designed and officially adopted sometime between 2009 and 2011.

The Singapore Lion Head Symbol

Singapore, a tiny sovereign nation in South East Asia, is also known as the Lion City. The Malay Annals has it that in the year 1299 Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang, landed on the island of Temasek after his fleet survived a terrible tropical storm. He caught a fleeting sight of a strange animal with a red body, black head and white breast before it disappeared into the jungle and was told it was a lion. Believing it to be a good omen, he decided to build a new city there and renamed the island Singapura which in the Sanskrit language means " lion city ".

The lion has therefore been associated with Singapore since time in memorial and is indeed featured on its coat of arms. However, since the national flag and the coat of arms are official symbols of Singapore, their use would be restricted and subjected to strict regulations. A less formal symbol that is easily recognizable and distinctive to Singapore is required so that individuals, organizations and corporations may use it to promote a sense of national identity.

As such, the government of Singapore invited local art schools and advertising agencies to produce a new symbol that best exemplifies the characteristics of the nation. Among many entries that depicted high rise public housing, palm trees and various lions, a winning design emerged. The lion head logo created by Michael Lee, then 33 years old, senior art director with Gartshore Keer and Lim advertising agency, was selected and was adopted as Singapore's alternative national symbol in 1986.

The lion represents courage, strength and excellence. The symbol is set in solid red against a white background, the colours of Singapore's national flag. The five strands of the lion's mane represents Singapore's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

The lion head symbol has since proliferated and can be frequently found printed on the packaging of made in Singapore produce and incorporated as company logos, among other things. By 1990, the Republic of Singapore Air Force has also replaced its old Yin and Yang inspired roundel with the lion head roundel.

The lion head roundel on the RSAF's F-15SG fighter.

Being one of the national symbols of Singapore means that the use of the lion head symbol still falls under some form of guideline. For example, the design may not be modified in any way or have any graphics or words superimposed over it. It can however be depicted in outline form, be embossed ( and perhaps also be debossed ) and be portrayed as a watermark. Its official colours are Pantone 032 ( red ), white and black.

The Straits Time of Singapore article 23rd July 1986
Source : National Library Board / SPH

JMSDF Helicopter Carrier Ise's Logo Mark

JDS Ise is a Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer of the JMSDF. Its name is derived from the ancient Japanese Province of Ise ( 伊勢国 Ise no kuni ), an area which in modern day covers most of Mie Prefecture in the Kinki region east of Osaka. Its namesake also includes the Ise Grand Shrine, one of the three most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan.

Despite being officially classified as a " helicopter carrying destroyer ", the Ise is actually helicopter carrier characterized by its flattop flight deck and island type bridge and control tower.

The JS Ise underway. Source : JMSDF

Unlike more recently commissioned JMSDF warships like the helicopter carrier Kaga or the destroyer Maya which had acquired their ship logo marks through design competitions open to the public, it seemed that the Ise had hers designed by her commanding officer, a certain Captain Hoshiyama Ryoichi ( 星山良一 ).

Hoshiyama graduated from the Japan National Defense Academy in 1982 ( 26th batch of graduates ). He was the last commanding officer of the helicopter destroyer Haruna ( DDH-141 ) from 2007 to 2009 after which he was appointed commanding officer of Pre-commissioning Unit Ise from 21st Aug 2009 to 15th Mar 2011 under the auspices of the Fleet Research & Development Command ( 開発隊群 ). He was also Ise's first commanding officer after her commissioning from 16th Mar 2011 to 31st Jul 2012. The list of current and past commanders of JDS Ise can be seen here, just above the footnote, in Japanese only.








Logo mark of JDS Ise ( DDH-182 )

The basic design of Ise's logo mark is that of an ovoid seal with golden coloured ropes at the rims. It has a central shield supported by two swords with the usual ship's motto on blue scrolls in English. This is very similar to the layout of the United States Navy ship's crest design and very different from the usual Japanese ship logo mark designs.

The flower motif, the hanabishi ( 花菱 ), represents the emblem of the Ise Grand Shrine and the green ladder-like design that leads to it represents the sanguukaidou ( 参宮街道 ), the path that the pilgrims take when they visit the shrine and it also represents the passage of time from the moment the shrine was constructed till modern day. The lion is supposed to signify the strength of Ise. The ship silhouette is of course the helicopter carrier Ise viewed from the front. 2011 was the year of her commissioning and the ship's motto is clearly spelled out in English : Readiness ( 即応 ), Expertness ( 高練度 ) and Integrity ( 誠実 ). The ship's name and pennant number were also included.




Hanabishi of the Ise Grand Shrine



Ship's crest of USS Truxtun DDG-103
exemplifies the usual American design.
Source : Wikipedia




The typical JMSDF ship logo mark is frequently round, simple and
elegant, with the ship's name in English as well as Japanese.
Source : JMSDF



Another example of JMSDF ship logo mark.
It is unconventional to have the ship's name written in kanji.
Source : JMSDF
 

Hoshiyama's lion head not only adorns Ise's logo mark, it is also found printed on Ise's promotional brochures, photo albums, wall-sized posters, sometimes in colours other than red. It has also made it onto many of the ship's official and unofficial paraphernalia like patches, badges, coasters, phone cases, collar pins, caps and mugs.




JDS Ise brochure Source : 4travel.jp




Commemorative Photo Album cover.
Source : blog.goo.ne.jp



Ise logo mark as wall backdrop for photo
taking during a public event in 2018



JDS Ise hangar screen : trained by a hundred battles 百戦練磨
 Source : 4travel.jp

Lion head symbol imprinted on a curtain.

Hoshiyama Ryouichi

Captain Hoshiyama Ryoichi as CO Ise in a photo dating from 2011.
The calligraphy on the wall reads " Ise ". Source : J-navy.sakura.ne.jp

 After his stint as the commanding officer of the Ise, Captain Hoshiyama was appointed Commander, Kure Fleet Training Command. According to published Japanese MOD documents ( Page 5 Number 5 ) on the re-employment status of retired senior officers, Hoshiyama retired on 9th Feb 2016 at the age of 56 years old, relinquishing his final post as the commander of the Sasebo Naval Base. He subsequently found employment in the private sector on 23rd Jun 2016, joining Imabari Ship Building Co. Ltd, Japan's biggest shipbuilder, as a senior manager in charged of workplace safety and quality control.


In my opinion, Hoshiyama's design looks amateurish and lacks the usual finesse and elegance typical of other Japanese warship logo marks. He tried to copy the structure of the American ship's badge but failed to understand the various components that made up the badge and his design ended up with a central shield that didn't quite look like a proper shield and was without a crest. The ship's motto was written in English rather than his native Japanese reflects the lack of originality. The designs on the shield also looks messy with the lion head, hanabishi, pilgrim's path and ship silhouette all over the place. The scroll on which the ship's motto was written also lacks contrast with the front and back of the scroll in different shades of blue and blue-grey.


Hoshiyama should be called upon to explain how he designed the logo mark of the Ise, in particular, how the lion head motif came to be. Did he knowingly or unknowingly copy the Singapore lion head symbol and modified it slightly to suit his purpose? If that was the case he would have been guilty of plagiarism and would have violated the regulations governing the use of Singapore's national symbol. To recapitulate, the lion head symbol should not be modified in any way and has to be used in a tasteful and respectful manner by Singaporean entities for promoting a sense of national identity. Foreign entities are therefore excluded from any authorized use of the symbol. The fact that this had gone unnoticed for so long was what amazed me. After all, JDS Ise did make a port call to Singapore in 2016 during the Asean Defense Minister's Meeting - Plus ( ADMM+ ). Somebody should have noticed something.

Frankly speaking, the JMSDF might be better off if it conducts a competition to redesign the Ise's logo mark. The collective talent of hundreds of amateur and professional artists and designers will certainly beat the artistic prowess of a ship's captain, hopefully resulting in a better logo mark. Unless, of course, if the JMSDF intends to donate the Ise to the Singapore Navy, then there is no real need to redesign anything apart from changing the Hoshiyama lion to the Singapore lion! Domo arigato gozaimasu!!

 

Invincible : Singapore's Type 218SG Submarine

 

 

Launching of the RSN's first Type 218SG submarine in Kiel, Germany. Photo : TKMS

 

  

Singapore's Type 218SG submarines have now been named. The first-of-class has been christened RSS Invincible at the launching ceremony in Kiel, Germany on 18th Feb 2019. The names of the sister submarines has also been revealed as RSS Impeccable, RSS Illustrious and RSS Inimitable. Invincible and Illustrious are rather common names for warships especially those of the Royal Navy. In the past three centuries or so at least 12 ships share these two names alone. Impeccable though is a name I like better. There has only been one other warship named Impeccable in history - a WWII minesweeper of the US Navy. The last name Inimitable really stumbled me. I had absolutely no idea what it meant until I did a quick search. It meant not capable of being imitated or matchless - a perfect name for the most advanced submarine of the Republic of Singapore Navy. So far I do not believe there is another warship with a similar name.

 

The Invincible-class Submarine

The TKMS / HDW Type 218SG is a new class of diesel-electric attack submarine custom designed for the RSN. Its design combines the best features from TKMS's Type 212A and the much larger Type 216 with special emphasis on operations in tropical climates and littoral environments typical of the seas around Singapore.

The Type 218SG has a surface displacement of 2000 tonnes and a submerged displacement of 2200 tonnes. It measures 70 meters in length and has a beam of 6.3 meters. It is equipped with TKMS's proprietary fuel cell air-independent propulsion system which means it has a much longer underwater endurance compared with non-AIP capable boats. Its combat system is jointly designed by Atlas Electronik and ST Electronics. The latest MINDEF news release indicated that it will have 8 torpedo tubes. It will have a compliment of 28 officers and ratings. Beyond this, there is little else revealed in the public domain regarding the other features of the Type 218SG.

The cost of the first two boats ordered in 2013 was said to be €1.6 billion, inclusive of logistics and training. A follow-on order of 2 additional submarines was announced in 2017. These 4 new submarines will eventually replace the existing four ageing submarines operated by the RSN one for one. More on the Type 218SG could be read in my previous blogs here and here.


 

The Type 218SG Submarine screen-grabbed from the RSN
promotional video.



Cut-away diagram of the Type 218SG SSK. Source MINDEF Singapore

RSN's Shopping Spree

In a departure from its usual ultra-cautious, perhaps conservative and value-seeking approach to weapons and platform acquisition, the RSN has seemingly disinhibited itself this time and had ordered a total of four brand new submarines in a matter of four years!

Bearing in mind that all of its previous submarine purchases were much older boats already decommissioned by the Swedish Navy, the initial buy involved just one Challenger-class ( Ex-Sjoormen ) submarine in 1995 followed by three more of the same class in 1997. In 2005, a rare opportunity for the RSN to expand its submarine fleet presented itself when the Swedish Navy decided to retire two of its Vastergotland-class submarines. They were eventually acquired by the RSN and were retro-fitted with AIP engines to become the Archer-class.

The act of buying brand new submarines from Germany in 2013 therefore represented a paradigm shift as the RSN's submarine force matured over the years. It is no longer learning and exploring about submarine operations in old boats but instead would be entering a new phase of capability enhancement with the latest and the best technology that the market could offer. Not only that, it will also have the submarines customized to its exact operational requirements, with special emphasis on safety and a high degree of automation.


 Is this latest submarine procurement by the RSN surprising? Well, yes and no ...

Invincible-class is highly customized for the RSN. Source : MINDEF

 

Untested New Platform

What was surprising to me was the speed of procurement, especially the placement of the second order before the first one was completed. This is potentially a concern when dealing with a new design that has yet to prove its worth. Nobody would dispute that TKMS has a wealth of experience when building conventional diesel-electric submarines. In fact, it could be considered the leader and is probably the top exporter of submarines with its Type 209 / 212 /214 series of SSKs.

However, the Type-218SG although based on reference designs of the Type-212A and the Type-216, is at the end of the day, still a new and unproven custom design. Many things could look good on paper but still go terribly wrong after being constructed. Remember the Royal Australian Navy's ill-fated Collins-class fleet submarines? Kockums AB was an experienced designer and builder too ... . I know, I know, Singapore did not insist on building them locally which is a smart decision that significantly lowered the risks of failure. Lowered but not removed.

I would have thought that the RSN would take delivery of the first two Type-218SG boats and would have made a thorough validation operationally before deciding on a follow-on order for more. It now seems that the top brass is in a hurry to get things done, perhaps for reasons that are yet unknown to us.





Singapore's Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen in front of the
Type-218SG Model at IMDEX 2017. Source : MINDEF



Model of the Type-218SG at IMDEX 2017. Source : MINDEF

Arms Race In The Western Pacific

On the other hand, this rapid renewal of the RSN's submarine force is not at all surprising given the geopolitical situation in the Western Pacific. Partly triggered by China with its aggressive island grabbing and area denial antics in the South China Sea and East China Sea, the countries around the Western Pacific Rim are all ramping up their military capabilities. After all, it had been estimated that about 800 vessels would be added to the fleets of the regional navies between now and the year 2030. China alone would account for the lion's share of these new warships. The PLAN seemed to have an endless supply of advanced frigates, destroyers, submarines, amphibious landing ships and now even aircraft carriers are being commissioned into service. Although Singapore is not a claimant in any of the disputed South China Sea territories, its survival as a maritime trading nation is entirely dependent on open and assessable sea lines of communication such that the constant flow of goods and materiel is not interrupted. Maintaining a strong submarine fleet is probably the most cost effective way to deter any foreign power from unilaterally imposing sea denial antics against legitimate international marine traffic.

 Transformation To An All-AIP Force

The Royal Swedish Navy was the first to have an all-AIP submarine fleet when they upgraded two of  their ageing A-17 Vastergotland-class submarines to be AIP-capable, re-commissioning them as the Sodermanland-subclass between 2003 and 2004. Together with three newer A-19 Gotland-class SSKs which were designed with organic AIP-capabilities, the RSwN had achieved a world's first.

The German Navy later achieved the same distinction by 2011 as it retired its older Type-205 and Type-206A boats retaining only its fleet of six AIP-capable Type-212A submarines.

Similarly, the RSN will be on track to operating an all-AIP submarine force in the near future with the delivery of the first two Type-218SG submarines and the foreseeable decommissioning of the last two non-AIP Challenger-class boats that are currently still in active service.


 

RSS Swordsman ( Archer-class ) at Changi Naval Base during IMDEX 2017.
The ship in the background is JMSDF's helicopter destroyer DDH-183 JS Izumo
which was there for the International Maritime Review. Photo : RSN 

 Pre-Commissioning Unit Invincible

I know this is USN lingo for a ship under construction prior to official commissioning but it is a convenient term to use. Now that the RSS or should we say PCU Invincible has been launched, what next?

The launching of a ship or boat is a great milestone in its construction but there will still be lots of work to be done. There will be sensor suites and weapon suites integration by the various vendors and then there will be sea trials and acceptance trials before delivery and final commissioning into active service.

If all goes according to plan, RSS Invincible would be delivered sometime in 2021 while the second submarine would be delivered in 2022 and the rest from 2024 onwards. In the mean time, the four existing submarines of the RSN, RSS Archer, RSS Swordsman, RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain will have to soldier on for a few more years, silently safeguarding the sea lines from beneath.

You can watch the official MINDEF video on the launching ceremony of the RSS Invincible below.

 

Here's a link to an interesting blog about the possible capabilities and missions of the Invincible-class SSK.

Minister for Defense Dr Ng Eng Hen at the launching ceremony
of RSS Invincible. Source : TKMS



The champagne for christening the boat. Source : TKMS 

 

 

 

 

Minister for Defense Dr Ng Eng Hen and wife Prof Ivy Ng. TKMS 

 

 

 

Minister for Defense Dr Ng Eng Hen with wife Prof Ivy Ng
and Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Lew Chuen Hong. TKMS

 



Minister for defense Dr Ng Eng Hen. TKMS

 

 

Vice Admiral Andreas Kruse ( Chief of Navy ) of the
Federal German Navy at the launching ceremony. TKMS

 

 

MOU on collaboration in new technologies like additive manufacturing
and data analytics for naval application between DSTA and TKMS. Source TKMS

 

 

 

 

DSTA and TKMS MOU signing. Source TKMS

 

 

MOU Signing Kiel 18 Feb 2019 Dr Luis Alejandro Orellano and
Dr Rolf Wirtz ( CEO TKMS ) and Tan Peng Yam ( CEO DSTA ). TKMS