The ''Fearless''-class
patrol vessels
A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...
were built by
Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine for the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would comprom ...
(RSN) in the 1990s. Four remain in service with the RSN as modified ''Sentinel''-class Maritime Security and Response Vessels (MSRVs), while derivatives of the type are also in service in the navies of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
,
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
and the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.
Development
The ''Fearless''-class patrol vessels were ordered as replacements for the earlier ''Swift''-class coastal patrol craft after they had been transferred to the
Police Coast Guard. The contract was awarded to ST Marine on 27 February 1993.
Design and construction
The patrol vessel is powered by two
MTU 12V 595 TE 90 diesel engines coupled to
ZF gear boxes. It is equipped with an MTU ship control monitoring and management system (SCMMS). In a departure from traditional conventional drives, the patrol vessel is fitted with twin waterjet systems developed by
Kamewa of Sweden. The patrol vessel’s main gun, installed on the bow deck, is the
OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapide. The patrol vessels are also armed with four
CIS 50 12.7mm machine guns. The air defence system is the Simbad twin missile launcher for the
Mistral surface-to-air missile. The first six vessels of the class were fitted for
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
, and are additionally armed with triple tube 324mm B515 torpedo launchers from
Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei S.p.A. (WASS).
''Sentinel''-class Maritime Security and Response Vessels
In 2021, four former ''Fearless''-class patrol vessels were refurbished and re-inducted into service as ''Sentinel''-class maritime security and response vessels (MSRV). The refurbishment plan was announced in March 2020 in response to the increase of sea robberies within the region, and foreign intrusions of Singapore territorial waters. The first two vessels, MSRV ''Sentinel'' (55) and ''Guardian'' (56), entered operational service with the RSN's
Maritime Security and Response Flotilla on 26 January 2021, with the latter two, MSRV ''Protector'' (57) and ''Bastion'' (58), joining them on 20 January 2022.
In addition to refitting the vessels to extend their operational lifespan, the ''Sentinel''-class MSRVs were fitted with a range of calibrated capabilities, including enhanced communications equipment, improved visual and audio warning systems, and modular ballistics protection on their superstructures. As part of the refit, non-lethal
LRAD
A long-range acoustic device (LRAD) is an acoustic hailing device (AHD), sound cannon and sonic weapon developed by Genasys. It has been used as a method of crowd control, which has caused permanent hearing damage, having an extremely high ...
and laser dazzling systems were added to increase operational flexibility, while fenders were incorporated into the hull to come alongside vessels of interest. The MSRVs retain the 76mm Oto Melara naval gun that was previously in service on the ''Fearless''-class, but have additionally been equipped with a
Typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
25mm naval gun system at stern. For point defence, the MSRVs are also equipped with 7.62 mm machine gun positions near their bridge wings.
Operational history
Over the years, the PV fleet has participated in various maritime security missions, safeguarding Singapore's waters and deterring piracy and sea robbery, as well as search-and-rescue efforts.
On 3 January 2003, was badly damaged in a collision with a
container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
in the Singapore Strait. The ship has since been stricken from the navy list.
In January 2005, 189 Squadron was transferred to the Coastal Command from the Fleet, with the 11 ships forming the 182 and 189 Squadron.
On 30 January 2013,
MINDEF
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF; ms, Kementerian Pertahanan; zh, 新加坡国防部; ta, தற்காப்பு அமைச்சு) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for overseeing the national defence of Sing ...
awarded
ST Engineering
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, doing business as ST Engineering, is a Singaporean multinational technology and engineering group in the aerospace, smart city as well as defence and public security sectors. Headquartered in Singapore, ...
a contract to design and build a
new class of eight littoral mission vessels (LMVs), which progressively replaced the ''Fearless''-class patrol vessels from 2017.
The final two ''Fearless''-class PVs, RSS ''Freedom'' and ''Gallant'', were decommissioned in December 2020.
Exports
In April 2012, ST Marine was awarded a contract by the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
to build four patrol vessels based on the ''Fearless'' class. The vessels were delivered as the between 2015 and 2016.
In November 2021, ST Engineering was awarded a sub-contract for design, platform equipment and technical assistance by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), which is building four Falaj 3-class Offshore Patrol Vessels based on the ''Fearless'' class for the
UAE Navy
The United Arab Emirates Navy is the naval branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. It is small force of about 3,000 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats.
Although primarily concerned wit ...
.
In March 2023, the former RSS ''Brave'' and ''Gallant'' were transferred as a gift to the
Royal Brunei Navy as KBD ''As-Siddiq'' and ''Al-Faruq''.
Ships of class
Notes
External links
MINDEF - Republic of Singapore Navy - Naval Assets
{{Singapore-designed weapons
Patrol vessels
Patrol vessels of the Republic of Singapore Navy