Overview
- The Republic of Singapore Navy launched the first of four Fassmer‑built Sentinel‑class offshore patrol vessels, christened Sentinel, at the Fassmer shipyard in Berne, Germany; the ship will complete acceptance trials and system checks before sailing to Singapore.
- MINDEF contracted Fassmer for four 2,700‑tonne OPVs that are larger than the current MSRVs, with baseline crews of about 40, top speeds above 23 knots, and endurance over 4,000 nautical miles to sustain longer patrols.
- The vessels use a combined diesel‑electric/diesel propulsion, stern‑launch and recovery systems for manned and unmanned craft, and layered sensors and weapons including a STRALES 76mm guided gun and a RAFAEL 30mm remote weapon to handle both kinetic and unmanned threats.
- The OPVs are built for Singapore’s crowded waters with high manoeuvrability, ballistic protection in key spaces, and modular payload bays so they can be reconfigured for law enforcement, search and rescue, or calibrated maritime security missions.
- MINDEF presented the launch as a sign of deepening defence cooperation with Germany under the 2018 enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, and said the existing MSRVs will remain in service until the new OPVs are fully operational.