FLEET'S FORMIDABLE DISPLAY AT SEA

You've probably seen the Black Knights from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) performing breathtaking aerobatics in their F-16s. And with thousands of youths enlisting into the Army each year, you're probably used to the sight of the green camouflage uniforms on the MRT trains. But how much of the Navy do you actually see or hear?

PIONEER was privileged to be part of the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) latest fleet exercise and we take you through the action from on-board the lead ship of the exercise, the RSS Steadfast, and find out what keeps the RSN going on its transformational journey towards becoming the 3rd Generation force.

The reason the Navy seems invisible to the public eye is because their ships are located at the extreme ends of Singapore. And even at the naval bases where they are docked, the ships, though massive, appear much like any other vessel.

But put the ships out in the open sea and you will see the true power of the Navy unleashed.

The RSN conducts regular fleet exercises to hone its operational readiness in maritime warfare.

This year's fleet exercise from 18 to 19 Feb marked the first-ever participation of all six of the RSN's stealth frigates. The last two frigates to be commissioned, RSS Stalwart and RSS Supreme, joined the squadron only in January.

The exercise provided the opportunity for the frigates to display their potent suite of capabilities and their ability to engage in three-dimensional warfare - air, surface and underwater battles.

With the participation of almost 800 personnel, three missile corvettes, a landing ship tank and a submarine, the exercise was aimed at "maximising training opportunities for the men and women and sharpening the ships' fighting skills", said Colonel (COL) Giam Hock Koon, Commanding Officer of the Frigate Squadron.

The sky's the limit

In the South China Sea training area, the participating forces kicked off the first serial of the exercise - an air defence exercise.

In the RSN's transformational journey into the 3rd Generation force, its frigates' Combat Information Centres (CICs) have been equipped with high-tech systems. The CICs serve as nerve centres for all combat operations within the ships and when operating with other forces.

The scenario trained the participating ships' CIC teams in tracking air targets and engaging in simulated air battles with the targets. With the incorporation of assets from the RSAF, an E-2C airborne early warning aircraft assisted in the detection of simulated air forces - four F-16 fighter jets.

As the first line of defence, Combat Air Patrols made up of two F-5 Tiger jets were deployed to deter the attack from the hostile fighters.

As the F-16s came nearer, the RSS Steadfast, travelling at its top speed, then fired missiles at the hostile aircraft while evading enemy missiles being fired at her.

Such support from the RSAF assets "allows us to have a robust, realistic training environment, which contributes to the overall training objectives", said Captain Augustine Lim, Operations Officer 2 of the RSS Steadfast.

It's a hit!

It would be presumptuous to assume that the frigates will always survive such air attacks unscathed. That is why the scenario included the frigate being hit, leading to the need for Firefighting and Damage Control.

After a simulated strike on the RSS Steadfast, personnel from the Machinery Control Room (MCR), the engineering centre of the ship, evaluated the extent of damage to the ship and located fires sparked off from the attack using various sensors and closed circuit television cameras.

The personnel within the MCR then activated the ship's firefighting system, the FM200, to put out the fires automatically. The frigate's firefighting team, armed with fire extinguishers and water hoses, were then directed to ensure that there was no more danger in the affected compartments, as well as evacuated all casualties to safety. This rounded off the air defence exercise.

In a demonstration of their anti-surface fighting capabilities that followed, the frigates and missile corvettes fired shots from their OTO Melara 76mm main guns at a floating target the size of a small boat that was not even visible to the naked eye.

A "cat and mouse" chase

As night came, there was no rest for the frigates as they engaged in a search and destroy mission for a simulated hostile submarine.

To determine the submarine's location, the RSS Steadfast launched its Active Low Frequency Towed Sonar, which enabled it to detect underwater contacts. Upon discovering the enemy, the frigate then simulated the launching of a torpedo, while executing an evasive manoeuvre to avoid the submarine's counter-attack.

In a tactical surface drill that took place from midnight till dawn, the ships were divided into two opposing forces, where each had to locate its opponent and engage the "enemy" in simulated battles.

As dawn broke, the Protector, an Unmanned Surface Vessel, conducted a live surface firing at the floating target with its stabilised machine gun. The RSS Persistence, a landing ship tank, also fired its Typhoon Gun at the same target.

Another test of the frigates' anti-air fighting capabilities saw the ships firing their main guns at a target towed by a lear-jet.

As part of the exercise, the crew also guided the landing and launching of a helicopter, as well as ensuring the safe transfer of personnel to and from the helicopter.

Reason for success

As a grand finale to the fleet exercise, the frigates participated in a manoeuvring exercise that had all six frigates forming a line, an arrow and a diamond with the missile corvettes.

Though seemingly easy to plan on paper, the manoeuvring of each frigate was a test of the navigational abilities of personnel on board, who had to keep the frigate at the correct distance from the other frigates next to it, while maintaining the same speed as the other ships.

Although the state-of-the-art systems and capabilities of the frigates were sufficient to wow an audience who has never before seen the RSN in action, these did not feature much in measuring the success of the exercise.

Instead, it was the work of people behind the powerful machines that made the fleet exercise an overall success.

"We have done this level of fleet exercise many times before, but in a longer time span of maybe three to four days," said 1st Warrant Officer (1WO) Loh Wai Hon, the Coxswain of the RSS Steadfast, who assists the Commanding Officer in matters relating to the warrant officers and specialists on board.

"The challenge was to compress the exercise into a two-day exercise and I believe we managed that successfully," he added.

Always ready

As Chief Weapon Electrical Systems of the RSS Steadfast, 2nd Warrant Officer Manicka Vasakar was in charge of the power supply and engineering management system of the ship and he had this to say of his men: "My team was very responsive, always ensuring that nothing went wrong during the exercise. They are very capable, always there, able to think, decide, discuss, and get the job done."

Leading Radar Navigation Specialist, 1st Sergeant (1SG) Iris Lim, who was often sighted at the bridge of the frigate during the exercise, admitted that operating the elaborate computerised system on the frigate took some getting used to, it being more advanced than what she used to operate.

Underwater Specialist Staff Sergeant (SSG) Danny Liao, whose job was to operate the sonar, agreed with her views but added: "The systems on the frigate are pretty advanced, but because of the training we have, it helped us cope with the challenges."

All about teamwork

In evaluating the fleet's performance in the fleet exercise, COL Giam lauded the dedication of the ships' crew.

"I think all the ships performed to the best of their abilities, and have indeed gained from the training experience," he said.

With a lean crew of 71, it was no mean feat for the RSS Steadfast's crew to carry out all the drills over the two days. Their secret recipe in overcoming the physical and mental exertion? Empowering the crew and teamwork.

Operations Officer 1, RSS Steadfast, Major Lim Huay Wen explained: "Internally, we are organised to empower our guys, so they make decisions at lower levels as well, through all ranks of the hierarchy. In this case, a lot of people can make decisions on their own, and look after different parts of the ship."

She concluded: "If we depend on officers alone, or a core group of people, then it's going to be really challenging. It's a shared responsibility, and it's what being in the Navy is all about. It's a family, and it's about teamwork, working together in synergy towards a common goal."