Singapore decommissions last two Challenger-class submarines

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has retired its last two Challenger-class submarines, heralding their official replacement by the new Invincible class.

The two last Challengers, RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain, were decommissioned in a ceremony held at Changi Naval Base on 25 November.

The Singapore Ministry of Defence paid tribute to the work of the two Challenger-class vessels in developing Singapore’s submarine operating capability.

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At the decommissioning ceremony, Fleet Commander RAdm Kwon Hon Chung said: “RSS Conqueror’s and RSS Chieftain’s achievements are a testament to the RSN’s pioneer submariners, who laid strong foundations for the growth of 7th Flotilla and [turned] the RSN into a world-class submarine operating force.”

He also paid tribute to the Royal Swedish Navy for its help in starting up Singapore’s submarine programme in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The Invincible class is made up of four submarines, ordered in two batches in 2013 and 2017. All four vessels have now been launched and the first two, RSS Invincible and RSS Impeccable, were commissioned in September 2024.

The Invincible-class 218SG submarines represent the first time the RSN has procured entirely new boats, as the Challenger-class vessels were Royal Swedish Navy Sjoorman-class submarines before they entered service with the RSN in the early 2000s. The Invincible-class vessels are regarded as the first in a new generation of Singaporean submarines.

Underlining this new generation of capabilities, the decommissioning of the last two Challenger-class submarines was the occasion for the launching of a new submarine training school in Singapore.

Named after RSS Challenger, the school will use modern simulators to put trainee submariners in realistic scenarios for both individual and team training sessions.

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