Off the wire
• China to create new fund to boost industries in poor areas  • China reaffirms support to Colombia's peace process  • Indian markets close lower  • 8 soldiers killed in Afghan clashes within day  • Promotion of Chinese language education discussed in Laos  • Debt-for-equity swaps to substantially reduce corporate leverage: official  • China's electric carmaker BYD debuts budget light train  • China announces one trillion yuan PPP demonstration projects  • Kenya Airways says strike by pilots to affect business  • Four confirmed dead in S. African hostage situation  
You are here: 　 Home

Singapore launches 3rd littoral mission vessel

Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

Singapore launched the third littoral mission vessel (LMV) "Unity" on Thursday, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a statement.

Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Defence Ong Ye Kung, Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han and senior officials from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) attended the launching ceremony.

Ong recognized that the LMVs, which tap on technologies, innovative engineering and logistics design to enable smarter operations, would form an important part of Singapore's maritime force.

Comparing them with the Fearless-class Patrol Vessels, Ong noted that "the LMVs are far more capable and versatile, and will take the RSN into the future".

"Unity" is the third of eight new LMVs that will replace RSN's Fearless-class Patrol Vessels, which have been in service for 20 years. The first and second LMVs, "Independence" and "Sovereignty" were launched in July 2015 and April 2016 respectively. All eight LMVs are expected to be fully operational by 2020.

MINDEF noted that the launch of the LMVs is a significant milestone in the RSN's continued transformation to keep Singapore's seas safe.

The LMVs can be quickly configured with mission modules to take on a wide spectrum of operations, allowing the crew to deliver calibrated responses using lethal and non-lethal options to deal with a range of maritime threats. Endit