Planning and Acquisition
The search for a replacement for the aging Sea Wolf class missile gunboats, which entered into service in 1972, started in the mid-1990s. The United States, Sweden and France participated in the bid for the contract. In March 2000, the Singapore Ministry of Defence awarded the contract to DCNS for the design and construction of six frigates. A key feature of the contract was the technology transfer arrangement. Under the arrangement, DCNS was to design and build the first frigate in its Lorient yard in France while the remaining five frigates were to be built locally by Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine at its Benoi yard in Singapore. Subsequent maintenance and mid-life retrofit will be done by ST Marine.
Construction of the Formidable began in late 2002, when the keel was laid down in Lorient on November 2002.
| Name | Pennant number |
Launched | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSS Formidable | 68 | 7 January 2004 | 5 May 2007 |
| RSS Intrepid | 69 | 3 July 2004 | 5 February 2008 |
| RSS Steadfast | 70 | 28 January 2005 | 5 February 2008 |
| RSS Tenacious | 71 | 15 July 2005 | 5 February 2008 |
| RSS Stalwart | 72 | 9 December 2005 | 16 January 2009 |
| RSS Supreme | 73 | 9 May 2006 | 16 January 2009 |
Read more about this topic: Formidable Class Frigate
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