Singapore Formidable-class frigates fitted with Blue Spear missile

File image of the Formidable-class frigate RSS Steadfast in the Singapore Strait. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Singapore's Formidable-class frigates have been fitted with the Blue Spear surface-to-surface missile (SSM), Janes can confirm.

The missile has been installed as part of the class's mid-life upgrade (MLU) programme, replacing the legacy Harpoon anti-ship missile.

The Blue Spear missile system is visible aboard the third ship of the class, RSS Steadfast, which will be open to guided public tours at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal on 21-22 August.

Singapore first disclosed plans to equip the Formidable class with the Blue Spear missile during an interview with Janes ahead of IMDEX 2023. Then-Commander of the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) First Flotilla, Colonel Ng Kok Yeng Daniel, outlined the intention during the exhibition preview.

Singapore's Ministry of Defence subsequently stated that the MLU programme would also include upgrades to the frigates' combat management, communications, and engineering systems.

The Blue Spear missile is marketed by Proteus Advanced Systems, a joint venture between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Singapore's ST Engineering.

The weapon traces its lineage to the Gabriel family of anti-ship missiles and has been developed for both naval and land-attack missions.

According to specifications released by Proteus Advanced Systems, the subsonic missile has a range of about 290 km and can engage targets beyond line of sight.

The missile incorporates a seeker and guidance package designed to operate in congested electromagnetic environments and against adversaries employing electronic countermeasures.

Industry officials previously told Janes that the weapon can engage both maritime and land targets and dynamically adjust its flight path against moving targets.

Blue Spear also employs a low sea-skimming flight profile intended to complicate detection and interception.