Singapore’s Multi-Role Combat Vessels: Motherships for a New Era of Naval Warfare

On October 21, 2025, Singapore reached a milestone in its naval modernization when ST Engineering launched the first Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) at its Benoi shipyard. More than just a new class of warship, the MRCV represents a transformation in maritime strategy by melding advanced automation, unmanned technologies, and international collaboration. It positions Singapore at the forefront of rethinking naval power in an era defined by autonomy and networked warfare.

At 150 meters in length and displacing around 8,400 tonnes, the MRCV is the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) largest warship to date, intended to replace the aging Victory-class corvettes from the late 1980s. Yet it is not simply a successor. Rather, it is the foundation of a new operational concept.

The MRCV functions as a “mothership” able to deploy and manage fleets of unmanned systems across all domains: air, surface, and subsurface. This provides a comprehensive perspective on what it means to be a maritime autonomous system: they can operate by themselves over or under the sea or be launched by a mothership. It is reality: not a power point projection.

This shift is strategic as much as technological. With a population of just 5.6 million, Singapore has long faced manpower limitations that make highly automated and modular designs essential. Through unmanned systems and lean manning, the RSN aims to amplify its operational reach without increasing crew size or costs.

The MRCV design emerged from collaboration between Sweden’s Saab Kockums and Denmark’s Odense Maritime Technology (OMT). Rather than selecting one design over another, Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) encouraged combining Swedish stealth and materials expertise with Danish modular architecture and cost-efficient construction.

From the Danish side, the MRCV inherits design lineage from the Absalon- and Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates, known for their modular StanFlex system that allows mission packages to be switched within hours. From Sweden come the composite mast and superstructure technologies pioneered for Visby-class corvettes, offering reduced radar cross-section and corrosion resistance.

This synthesis results in a ship that merges Northern European design pragmatism with Southeast Asian strategic needs.

Central to Denmark’s contribution is its philosophy of modularity. The Absalon-class introduced the concept of reconfigurable spaces for various missions from anti-submarine warfare to disaster relief—while keeping costs low through commercial-standard construction. By adapting this design logic, Singapore gains flexibility and scalability, enabling rapid configuration changes to suit missions ranging from regional presence operations to mine warfare.

Another hallmark of Danish design, namely, economic efficiency, is equally significant. By using standardized hulls across multiple classes and integrating systems incrementally, OMT-enabled platforms like the Iver Huitfeldt were produced for about half the cost of comparable NATO frigates.

The MRCV’s raised amidship deck embodies modularity tailored to Singapore’s needs. It hosts interchangeable modules for mission-specific packages: command centers for unmanned fleets, humanitarian aid facilities, mine countermeasures, or medical support. This adaptability also aligns with Singapore’s emphasis on “future-proofing” thereby ensuring systems can evolve alongside emerging operational concepts and technologies.

At IMDEX Asia 2025, DSTA and OMT expanded this cooperation with a Memorandum of Understanding on additive manufacturing, exploring how 3D printing could support naval component production and small autonomous vessel fabrication.

The MRCV’s defining purpose lies in its integration with autonomous systems. Each vessel will deploy and control an array of unmanned aerial vehicles, surface vessels, and underwater drones thereby enabling simultaneous operations across multiple environments. These assets multiply the effectiveness of a single crewed platform by extending its surveillance, strike, and defensive envelopes far beyond line-of-sight.

Singapore’s Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessels (MARSEC-USVs), operational since 2025, navigate autonomously through the congested Singapore Strait using AI-driven collision avoidance algorithms developed by DSTA and DSO National Laboratories.

The MRCVs will field larger and more capable USVs, such as the VENUS series, launched and recovered through stern ramps using advanced Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS). A flight deck accommodates multiple UAVs or a single medium-lift helicopter, integrating air and surface operations for flexible mission execution.

Automation is a defining feature of the MRCV. Despite its size, each vessel will operate with about 80 personnel which is roughly half the complement of comparable frigates. This is achieved through an integrated command center that combines navigation, engineering, and combat systems management, improving situational awareness and operational efficiency.

Digitally networked control systems and AI-driven decision-support tools reduce crew workload while enabling faster, more informed responses in dynamic combat environments. This optimization directly addresses Singapore’s demographic challenges: ensuring force readiness and sustainability even as available manpower declines.

The MRCV’s propulsion system uses an Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP) configuration powered entirely by diesel engines which is an unusual choice for vessels of this scale. By forgoing gas turbines, Singapore avoids introducing a new logistics and maintenance infrastructure while achieving operational flexibility through dynamic power distribution between propulsion and combat systems.

Though less suited for high-speed pursuits, this system meets the operational requirements of a drone mothership with endurance exceeding 7,000 nautical miles which is double that of the Formidable-class frigates and an on-station duration of over 21 days. This extended range gives Singapore unprecedented operational reach for their navy throughout the Indo-Pacific.

The MRCV’s sensor and weapons fit demonstrates a globally coordinated integration effort. Thales provides the SeaFire multi-function radar housed in the carbon fiber mast, Safran contributes electro-optical systems, and MBDA supplies a mix of Aster and VL MICA NG surface-to-air missiles making the MRCV the first vessel to integrate both systems.

Surface attack capability likely comes from the Blue Spear missile jointly developed by Israel’s IAI and Singapore’s ST Engineering. Additional armaments include Leonardo’s 76mm STRALES gun, Rafael’s remote weapons stations, and Sitep Italia’s stabilized acoustic systems for non-lethal options. Together these systems deliver a balanced mix of surface, air, and sub-surface capabilities in an efficiently managed architecture.

Singapore’s maritime geography drives its naval strategy. Situated at the crossroads of global trade routes linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the city-state depends almost entirely on the secure flow of maritime commerce. As regional waters grow more contested, DSTA and the RSN designed the MRCV to bolster sea line of communication (SLOC) security across vast distances while maintaining flexibility against evolving threats.

Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing has described the MRCV as a vessel “built for change” or a platform designed to evolve over a 30-year service life. Its modular design allows new systems be they emerging autonomous drones, directed-energy weapons, or advanced sensors to be integrated with minimal redesign, illustrating Singapore’s commitment to adaptability.

Integrating systems from multiple nations, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, and Israel, within an indigenous digital design architecture represents a major management and cybersecurity achievement. It highlights Singapore’s model of selective autonomy: developing sovereign capability in artificial intelligence, combat management systems, and unmanned operations, while blending in world-class foreign components where practical.

Six MRCVs will progressively replace the current Victory-class ships from 2028 onward. Each vessel will incorporate embedded simulators for continuous crew training, and future updates will enhance their Combat Management Systems with more advanced AI for situational analysis and command optimization. The RSN is already developing next-generation mine countermeasures systems that will operate from these vessels, giving the MRCV a multidomain operational edge.

The MRCV program offers a compelling case study in successful multinational defense cooperation. Four lessons stand out. First, middle powers can achieve world-class results when they combine local program management with foreign design excellence. Second, merging two distinct design philosophies rather than forcing competition can yield synergistic innovation. Third, transparency in requirements, such as Singapore’s insistence on an all-diesel powerplant, establishes trust among partners. Finally, sustained collaboration such as the DSTA-OMT research on additive manufacturing creates enduring technological ecosystems beyond the immediate project.

Singapore’s MRCV program demonstrates how a small nation can shape the future of warfare through innovation and cooperation. It embodies a shift from isolated ship classes toward adaptive systems of systems integrating human crews and autonomous agents into a single operational ecosystem.

For Denmark and Sweden, the project validates their design philosophies on a global stage; for Singapore, it transforms the RSN into a 21st-century fleet leader.

Motherships, Payloads and Autonomous Systems: A 2024 Prologue

For my 2024 book which discussed this and a whole lot more, see the following: