Debate on ministries' budgets: Defence Singapore to buy new submarines, infantry fighting vehicles, maritime patrol aircraft

Upgrades part of SAF's plan for military fit for country's security purposes: Minister

- Mike Yeo

Singapore plans to procure two new submarines, and new infantry fighting vehicles with anti-drone capabilities, as well as replace its maritime patrol aircraft in the coming years.

These hardware upgrades are part of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) plan for a military that is fit for Singapore's security purposes, especially amid a fast-changing global order, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on March 3 during the debate on the Ministry of Defence's (Mindef) budget.

Mindef's projected expenditure for financial year 2025 is around $23.4 billion, or 12.4 per cent higher than the year before. Dr Ng said this is due to the ministry catching up on projects deferred or disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and is expected to taper down from FY2026 and keep within 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade.

On the submarines, Dr Ng noted that the Republic of Singapore Navy's submarine programme is on track, with all four German custom-made submarines to be operational around 2028.

In April 2024, Singapore launched the fourth Invincible-class submarine at the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems shipyard in the German port city of Kiel.

But four submarines are not optimal for a submarine fleet, said Dr Ng. This is due to the vessels requiring more rigorous and frequent maintenance cycles as they operate under intense pressure.

Operational time is conversely relatively reduced, and is why most navies that operate submarines - such as Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam - have more than four, he added.

"Having proven that the Invincible-class submarines can perform to expectations in tropical waters, the SAF plans to procure two more, to make up a total of six, as the steady state for our submarine fleet," he said.