June 30, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Mike Yeo
MELBOURNE, Australia – The fallout from the global COVID-19 pandemic delayed the deliveries of new submarines and helicopters from Europe and the United States to Singapore.
Deliveries of its F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighters to remain on track, however.
Speaking to media via video conference during Singapore's annual armed forces day, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the delivery of the first of four Type 218SG submarines from Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, which are also known as the Invincible class, will be pushed back from 2021 to sometime in 2022.
Similarly, Ng confirmed that initial deliveries of the Airbus Helicopters H225M medium-lift and Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavylift helicopters for the Republic of Singapore Air Force or RSAF, which were due to start at the end of this year, will now take place in early 2021 instead.
He attributed the delays to disruptions in global supply chains arising from the pandemic, although he expects the delivery of the first four of up to 12 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters to be on track for a 2026 start.
Training spooling up
Ng also said that military training is getting back on track, after the suspension of basic training for the conscript army with enlistees sent home. Basic military training resumed in late May, and overseas military training is also expected to restart soon.
This includes the participation in the upcoming Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC multinational naval exercise, which is due to take place in Hawaii in August. Singapore will send a frigate to the exercise, which will be taking place amid precautions and restrictions to limit to potential spread of COVID-19.
The RSAF is also in discussions with Australia about resuming training. The two countries have agreements in place for Singaporean military aircraft to conduct unilateral training in northern Australia, utilizing the vast airspace, good weather and training ranges that are not available in Singapore.
February 7, 2024 | International, Land
The PLS trucks will deliver a key capability to the British Army providing support to operational activity, including carrying essential logistics, as such ammunition, food, water and support material, to...
November 23, 2018 | International, Naval
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has secured the protection of British home waters by announcing he will retain three of the Royal Navy's patrol ships. The future of the Batch 1 Offshore Patrols Vessels (OPVs), HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, which currently support the Fishery Protection Squadron, have been secured by the Defence Secretary. They will be retained for at least the next two years to bolster the UK's ability to protect our fishing fleet as well as our shores. The Royal Navy currently provide around 200 days of fishery protection a year. The Defence Secretary's announcement means that the Royal Navy will now have the capacity to deliver up to 600 days of fishery protection a year if needed. Mr Williamson has announced that each ship will forward-operate from their namesake rivers – from Newcastle, Liverpool and the Cardiff area respectively – to boost rapid responses in British waters up and down the nation. The versatile ships are also vital to the Royal Navy's anti-smuggling and counter-terrorism work, and frequently escort foreign vessels, including those from Russia, through the English Channel. Speaking on board patrol vessel HMS Tyne, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: Britain's patrol vessels are essential to protecting our waters, our fisheries and our national security. Safeguarding the future of these three ships in the Royal Navy will ensure we can respond quickly to incidents at any time, further protecting our waters as we exit the EU. By forward-operating these ships from their affiliated locations across the country, including the Tyne, it will not only allow them to react quickly, but also strengthen the bonds between the Royal Navy and local communities. Just last month, HMS Tyne monitored a Russian frigate as it passed through the English Channel, while last year, HMS Mersey returned from a 48,000 mile deployment where she played a key part in a £12million drugs bust off the coast of Nicaragua and helped combat the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.The ships also deter illegal pollution activity and provide emergency firefighting capabilities for ships in distress. HMS Tyne, HMS Severn and HMS Mersey are each operationally available for 320 days a year. The ships are armed with a 20mm cannon, which can fire 700 rounds a minute at at a maximum effective range of 1300 yards, and can travel at up to 20 knots. They will also be bolstered by five new-generation Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels over the next two years. The Royal Navy is expected to have all the Batch 2 OPVs, named HMS Forth, HMS Medway, HMS Trent, HMS Tamar and HMS Spey, by the end of 2020. They will be able to enhance UK efforts to counter terrorism, combat people and drug smuggling and promote the interests of Global Britain around the world. The announcement came during the Defence Secretary's visit to Newcastle, where he also revealed the name of the sixth frigate in Britain's Type 26 class of anti-submarine warships as HMS Newcastle. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: I am also delighted to be able to continue to strengthen the bond to Tyneside today, by announcing one of Britain's future world-beating Type 26 warships will be called HMS Newcastle. HMS Newcastle, which will be built on the Clyde, is set to provide advanced protection for the UK's nuclear deterrent and Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and offer an unrivalled anti-submarine warfare capability across the globe. HMS Newcastle will also be joined by her sister ship HMS Sheffield, which was also named by Defence Minister Stuart Andrew in the city this afternoon. The first Type 26 warship, HMS Glasgow, is expected in service in the mid-2020s. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-secures-ships-to-protect-home-waters
March 25, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Jen DiMascio Michael Bruno Will the coronavirus pandemic completely change how the defense budget is prioritized nationally? Steve Grundman, principal of Grundman Advisory, joins Aviation Week editors. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/podcast-what-covid-19-portends-defense-now-future