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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Our Navy submarines coming woh...</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
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RSN personnel at work inside the RSS Archer, which Singapore bought secondhand from the Swedish navy. It was built by Swedish company Kockums in 1987 and underwent upgrading and refurbishment to prepare it for the warmer, more corrosive waters around Singapore. -- PHOTO: MINDEF
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KARLSKRONA (SWEDEN) - THE first of two submarines destined for the Singapore navy slipped into the pristine waters off this Swedish coastal city yesterday.
The RSS Archer will undergo sea trials between now and its arrival in Singapore late next year.
Balloons and cheers filled the air yesterday as Mrs Teo Poh Yim, the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, smashed a bottle of champagne against the vessel's sleek black hull, in keeping with maritime tradition.
The eventual delivery of the 60.5m diesel-electric vessel and the RSS Swordsman will allow the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) to retire some of its Challenger-class boats which are more than 30 years old.
The deal to buy the pair second-hand from the Swedish navy was inked four years ago.
The RSS Archer, built by Swedish company Kockums in 1987, underwent upgrading and refurbishment to prepare it for the warmer, more corrosive waters around Singapore.
It has been fitted with a state-of- the-art Air Independent Propulsion system which allows it to last six weeks at sea - twice as long as the older Challenger-class submarines.
The older submarines have to surface periodically to recharge their batteries, making them vulnerable to detection. The RSS Archer's ability to stay submerged longer makes it stealthier.
It is also armed with more torpedoes.
DPM Teo, who is the Defence Minister, said the submarines are among the set pieces in the RSN arsenal, operating in concert with the six stealth frigates and the soon-to-be-delivered naval helicopters.
All this hardware will enable the navy to undertake 'more sophisticated operations to help maintain regional peace and stability and secure the vital sea routes through our region', he added.
Military analysts say the launch of RSS Archer cranks up the U-boat race in this region: Malaysia took delivery of the first of its two French-built submarines in January, and Thailand is looking into acquiring its own submarines too.
Mr Teo credited the Royal Swedish Navy, which has operated submarines for more than a century, for helping Singapore strengthen its fleet quickly.
He noted that ties between the two countries have come a long way since the early 1990s, when Singapore first sought help to build up its mine countermeasure firepower and then moved on to acquiring submarine capabilities.
'Both Sweden and Singapore do not have large populations and need to leverage on their highly educated societies to exploit technology as a critical force-multiplier,' he said.
More than 60 men and women of the RSN have been training with their Swedish counterparts here since April 2007.
Captain Jonas Naggren, commander of the 1st Submarine Flotilla of the Swedish navy who oversees the training of the RSN personnel, said the tough training in advanced submarine warfare for this batch moved quickly because they learned fast.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Nyeo, commanding officer of the RSS Archer, said only the best and most motivated were chosen to work on the boat.
Most of his crew, who have experience operating the older Challenger-class boats, have picked up new skills. LTC Nyeo said: 'We are going beyond the basic skills of operating a submarine and looking more at anti-submarine warfare...like detecting and tracking other submarines.'
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
RSN personnel at work inside the RSS Archer, which Singapore bought secondhand from the Swedish navy. It was built by Swedish company Kockums in 1987 and underwent upgrading and refurbishment to prepare it for the warmer, more corrosive waters around Singapore. -- PHOTO: MINDEF
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
KARLSKRONA (SWEDEN) - THE first of two submarines destined for the Singapore navy slipped into the pristine waters off this Swedish coastal city yesterday.
The RSS Archer will undergo sea trials between now and its arrival in Singapore late next year.
Balloons and cheers filled the air yesterday as Mrs Teo Poh Yim, the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, smashed a bottle of champagne against the vessel's sleek black hull, in keeping with maritime tradition.
The eventual delivery of the 60.5m diesel-electric vessel and the RSS Swordsman will allow the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) to retire some of its Challenger-class boats which are more than 30 years old.
The deal to buy the pair second-hand from the Swedish navy was inked four years ago.
The RSS Archer, built by Swedish company Kockums in 1987, underwent upgrading and refurbishment to prepare it for the warmer, more corrosive waters around Singapore.
It has been fitted with a state-of- the-art Air Independent Propulsion system which allows it to last six weeks at sea - twice as long as the older Challenger-class submarines.
The older submarines have to surface periodically to recharge their batteries, making them vulnerable to detection. The RSS Archer's ability to stay submerged longer makes it stealthier.
It is also armed with more torpedoes.
DPM Teo, who is the Defence Minister, said the submarines are among the set pieces in the RSN arsenal, operating in concert with the six stealth frigates and the soon-to-be-delivered naval helicopters.
All this hardware will enable the navy to undertake 'more sophisticated operations to help maintain regional peace and stability and secure the vital sea routes through our region', he added.
Military analysts say the launch of RSS Archer cranks up the U-boat race in this region: Malaysia took delivery of the first of its two French-built submarines in January, and Thailand is looking into acquiring its own submarines too.
Mr Teo credited the Royal Swedish Navy, which has operated submarines for more than a century, for helping Singapore strengthen its fleet quickly.
He noted that ties between the two countries have come a long way since the early 1990s, when Singapore first sought help to build up its mine countermeasure firepower and then moved on to acquiring submarine capabilities.
'Both Sweden and Singapore do not have large populations and need to leverage on their highly educated societies to exploit technology as a critical force-multiplier,' he said.
More than 60 men and women of the RSN have been training with their Swedish counterparts here since April 2007.
Captain Jonas Naggren, commander of the 1st Submarine Flotilla of the Swedish navy who oversees the training of the RSN personnel, said the tough training in advanced submarine warfare for this batch moved quickly because they learned fast.
Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Nyeo, commanding officer of the RSS Archer, said only the best and most motivated were chosen to work on the boat.
Most of his crew, who have experience operating the older Challenger-class boats, have picked up new skills. LTC Nyeo said: 'We are going beyond the basic skills of operating a submarine and looking more at anti-submarine warfare...like detecting and tracking other submarines.'
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