Singapore Launches Second Victory-Class Multi-Role Combat Vessel RSS Valour

The Republic of Singapore Navy launched RSS Valour (89), the second Victory-class Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV), on July 23, 2026, at ST Engineering’s Benoi Shipyard. Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam presided over the ceremony, and Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Low is expected to be named the ship’s first commanding officer.

At 150 meters long and displacing 8,000 tonnes, the vessel replaces retiring 595-tonne corvettes and is designed to serve as both a command ship and a “mothership” for autonomous air, surface and underwater systems. Its Integrated Full Electric Propulsion system generates 30 megawatts of power, giving the ship a range beyond 7,000 nautical miles and endurance exceeding 21 days with a crew of fewer than 100.

RSS Valour carries Thales’s Sea Fire active electronically scanned array radar, a 32-cell vertical launch system for Aster 30 Block 1 NT and VL MICA NG missiles, and Leonardo’s 76mm STRALES main gun — a configuration designed to make the ship versatile across both air defense and surface warfare missions.

Lessons learned from the lead ship, RSS Victory (88), shortened the time from steel-cutting to launch for RSS Valour to 455 days. RSS Victory launched on October 21, 2025, and is scheduled for delivery in 2028; RSS Valour’s delivery is expected in 2029. Singapore’s accelerated MRCV timeline comes amid continued tensions in the South China Sea, marking another sign of intensifying naval competition in the Indo-Pacific, and its multi-role, autonomous-systems-integrated design is drawing attention as a reference point for other regional navies.

Source: Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) official press release, July 23, 2026, with reporting by Naval News and Army Recognition.