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1981

The Swift-class coastal patrol crafts (CPCs)
were added to the RSN’s arsenal of
capabilities. The first vessels designed and
built locally; the CPCs complemented the
PCs’ constabulary duties in protecting
Singapore‘s immediate waters. This helped to Victory-class missile corvette (MCV)
relieve the MGBs of daily patrol, allowing the
MBGs to focus on naval warfare operations. The 1990s
In 1993, the CPCs were transferred to the
Police Coast Guard, where they continued to As the RSN matured, there was a need to
perform coastal patrol missions until 2012. ensure that capabilities remain cutting-edge.
Hence, this decade saw the development of
new mine hunting assets, as RSS Jupiter was
scrapped in 1986 ad RSS Mercury
decommissioned in 1993. In 1991, we entered
into an agreement with Sweden for four new
Land sort-class mine countermeasure vessels
(MCMVs), which we re-classed as our own
Bedok–class MCMVs. To the present day,
they play a vital role in helping to safeguard
Swift-class coastal patrol craft (CPC)
the passage of international shipping through
1990 our waters, keeping the sea lines of
communication safe for all.
With Singapore’s prosperity, increasingly
dependent on maritime trade, the RSN saw an
expansion of her mission beyond coastal
duties to include ensuring the safety and
openness of our sea lines of communication
(SLOCs). The Navy was able to carry out this
expansion in duties and operations with the
Victory-class missile corvettes (MCVs), Bedok-class mine countermeasure vessel (MCMV)
which are equipped with a complete suite of
three-dimensional strike warfare capabilities. 1995
The first MCV RSS Victory was
commissioned this year. The MCVs were the This year, the RSN acquired four Challenger-
first class of ship in our Navy to have anti- class submarines from the Swedish Royal
submarine capabilities. Navy – a significant step forward into the
underwater dimension that marked the RSN’s
development into a balanced, capable Navy.
Submarines can undertake subtle stealth
operations that could strike at enemy forces
on the surface before they could even see it