Forging Ahead on Formidable

link to article(Source: Singapore Ministry of Defence; issued Sept. 29, 2005)


The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) newest warship, RSS Formidable, represents one of the transformational capabilities of the SAF, and it will be at the forefront of maintaining maritime security in the waters around Singapore. Leveraging on technology, the lead ship of the Formidable-class stealth frigates is designed with lean manning as a key consideration. With just 71 personnel on board and an air detachment crew of 15, it calls for new operational mindsets and workflow.

As Commanding Officer of RSS Formidable, COL Jackson Chia's role is no different from commanding officers of other RSN vessels - to ensure the safety of his crew, and that missions assigned to the ship are accomplished.

However, the challenge lies in mitigating the demands placed on the lean crew as they adapt to the complex systems and a whole host of state-of-the-art defence systems and capabilities on board.

"I think being the pioneer batch is a privilege," said COL Chia. "But at the same time, it is also a heavy responsibility because you are bringing together people from different areas of the Navy - people with different backgrounds, different areas of expertise - and trying to gel them together as a team in order to operationalise a new capability."

I think that, in itself, is probably the greatest challenge, but if successful, it will be probably one of the joys of the command."


The new frontier

The key to unlocking the mystery of lean manning, he revealed, is the high level of automation. This changes a lot of the working processes on board and makes it more efficient and effective to allow a ship of this platform to operate with a crew of 71 instead of the usual 150 for a warship of this size.

According to Coxswain, MWO Richard Goh, the crew are certainly relishing their role as the trailblazers, and are anxiously looking forward to operating the multitude of systems on the frigate when these are ready.

"They are very excited because it is a new ship; it is the first time that the Navy is operating a frigate. It is the first time we are having a big ship with so much firepower and a lot of new systems," he said.

Leading Ordnance Electronic Weapon Specialist, SSG Edwin Ong, who has been in the RSN for about seven years and was previously from Landing Ship Tank RSS Endurance, enjoys the opportunity to gain more in-depth knowledge and to establish new processes and procedures on RSS Formidable.

For CPL Toh Wee Chong, a fellow Ordnance Electronic Weapon Specialist, who is one of the Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) on board, the steep learning curve is what spurs him on.

"You need to learn a lot during this period, like the things to indent and providing what is needed for the ship," he explained. "Even though we are NSFs, it is also a very good experience for us to have. Some experiences, such as man-management skills, are applicable even after we complete NS."

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COMBAT AND WEAPON SYSTEMS:

--Multi-Function Radar: THALES Herakles Multi-Function Radar (MFR)
--Navigation Radar: TERMA Electronic Navigation Radar
--Surface-to-Surface Missile: Harpoon Surface Missile System
--Surface-to-Air Missile: MDBA Aster Missile System
--Naval Gun: OTO Melara 76mm Gun
--Sonar: EDO Active Low Frequency Towed Sonar (ALOFTS)
--Torpedo: Whitehead A244S System
--Communications: CET Integrated Communications System
--Gun Fire Control System: EADS Gunfire Control System
--Standard Operating Common Consoles: ST (Elect) SES

Sweet looking ships. Great addition for Singapore