France’s Naval Group will be joining prime contractor ST Engineering Marine to work on the mid-life upgrade of the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Formidable-class frigates, Naval Group announced on 2 May 2024.
ST Engineering Marine was awarded a contract for the upgrade by the Singapore Ministry of Defence on 14 December 2023. Naval Group, previously called DCNS, was awarded the original contract for the six Formidable-class frigates in March 2000 in a deal that involved a significant technology transfer to ST Engineering Marine.
“Naval Group has a deep understanding of the Formidable frigates, as the Group has built the first vessel in the Formidable-class series on the Lorient shipyard in France. The other five were built locally by the ST Engineering shipyard, in accordance with the major transfer of technology agreement: a testimony of the strong partnership between the two companies,” Naval Group stated in a press release.
“To achieve this project, Naval Group will work closely with Naval Group Far East, its subsidiary in Singapore, which is already supporting the Singaporean navy and ST Engineering in project management, maintenance and supply chain [requirements],” the company added.
Neither the specific details of the modernisation, nor the value of the work, have been disclosed, but the upgrading of the first frigate is expected to be completed in around 2028.
