Over 30 warships from 20 countries, including the United States and China, will converge on Singapore May 15 for the first-ever International Maritime Review (IMR) to be hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
IMR is one of the major international events lined-up to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of the RSN, which has one of the strongest navies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). RSN celebrates its golden jubilee, billed as RSN50, on May 5, which is also Navy Day.
This will be the Republic of Singapore Navy's first-ever IMR. More than 4,000 guests and participants, including about 30 chiefs of navy and directors-general of coast guard, are expected to attend the IMR, which some analysts see as a show of maritime diplomacy.
Colonel Saw Shi Tat, Head, Naval Personnel Department of the RSN, said IMR is a "testament of the friendship we have forged with friends and partners from all over the world".
Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam will conduct a portion of the review aboard the RSN's newest warship, the Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV), RSS Independence (15). RSS Independence will be commissioned on May 5.
The lead ship in the eight-ship Independence-class, RSS Independence is designed for missions such as maritime security and search-and-rescue missions.
She will begin naval operations by August. All eight Independence-class LMVs will be operational by mid-2020, replacing 11 Fearless-class patrol vessels.
The nerve center of these 1,200 metric ton patrol vessels is a smart system that allows officers to track equipment, man guns and navigate the seas from one command center. The LMV's launch and recovery system allows it to deploy boats in less than a minute, compared to its 15 minutes in the Fearless-class.
The teeth of the Independence-class consists of 12 vertical launchers for the MBDA MICA all weather, fire-and-forget short and medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system with a range of 20 km.
Their main gun armament consists of one Oto Melara 76 mm Super Rapid gun mounted on a stealth cupola. They're also armed with remote control weapons stations for two Hitrole 12.7 mm heavy machine guns and one Israeli-made 25 mm Mk38 Mod2 Typhoon Stabilized Gun.