04 April 2023

Singapore operationalises combatant craft for naval special forces

by Ridzwan Rahmat

The Republic of Singapore Navy's combatant craft large, seen here in the Singapore Strait. (Singapore Ministry of Defence)

A new type of combatant craft that was first unveiled by Singapore in 2021 is now fully operational, the country's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) told Janes.

The vessel, which has been dubbed the combatant craft large (CCL), is in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) special forces formation known as the Naval Diving Unit (NDU).

The NDU is responsible for operations such as underwater explosive ordnance disposal, counter-terrorism, and other special forces missions.

The CCL was developed by the RSN in collaboration with the country's Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), and is “designed and built locally”, said MINDEF in its 2021 statement, presumably referring to the marine unit of defence prime ST Engineering.

“The CCL is designed to be highly manoeuvrable and to achieve high speeds, which allows the craft to operate in congested environments and reach the target location quickly,” the statement added.

The aluminium-hulled vessel has an overall length of 26 m and a breadth of 5 m. It can accommodate a crew of four including a boat commander, a coxswain, a navigator, and an engineer.

Powered by two MTU engines and propelled by two Kamewa waterjets, the CCL can attain top speeds in excess of 35 kt and has a range of more than 400 n mile, according to details provided by MINDEF.

The CCL is equipped with a radar and an electro-optical system that incorporates an eye-safe laser, presumably for target ranging purposes. The vessel's command suite has been incorporated with an electronic chart display and information system, a maritime automatic identification system (AIS), and a gyrocompass.

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