According to information published by the Australian DoD on October 3, 2022, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) have successfully conducted bilateral maritime training during Exercise Singaroo 2022 in Australia’s northern waters.
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Singapore Navy's Formidable class frigate RSS Steadfast. (Picture source: Canadian Forces Combat Camera Photo By Master Corporal Mathieu Gaudreault)
The exercise, which ran from 26 to 29 September, included high-end warfare serials by Australian frigates HMAS Hobart and RSS Steadfast and Republic of Singapore Air Force F-15SG and F-16 aircraft operating from RAAF Base Darwin.
Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley said the long-standing exercise was a sign of maturity in the interoperability of the two nations’ armed forces.
Rear Admiral Edwin Leong, Chief of Staff-Naval Staff, Republic of Singapore Navy said the RAN and the RSN share a close and long-standing relationship.
The 2022 iteration of Singaroo included the firing of Australia’s Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) from RAN destroyer HMAS Hobart. The ESSM is highly effective in countering aircraft and supersonic manoeuvring anti-ship missiles.
About the RSS Steadfast
RSS Steadfast (70) is the third ship of the Formidable-class stealth frigate of the Republic of Singapore Navy. The ship was built by ST Marine Engineering company in Singapore around the late 2000s and was commissioned on 5 February 2008.
Radar cross section (RCS) reduction features have been incorporated into the Formidable class design, with inclined hull sides and bulwarks as well as concealment of ship boats and replenishment-at-sea equipment behind low-RCS curtains.
The frigate is equipped with the Thales Herakles passive electronically scanned array multi-function radar, which provides three-dimensional surveillance for up to 250 km (155.3 mi). The radar provides all-round automatic search and tracking of both air and surface targets, and is integrated with the MBDA Aster air defence system.
The frigate is equipped with Boeing Harpoon missiles and Oto Melara 76 mm guns for surface defence. The Harpoon missile has a range of 130 km (70 nmi) and uses active radar guidance.
