Media Room: Media Releases

BILATERAL EXERCISE COMMENCES

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has today commenced Exercise Singaroo, a bilateral maritime warfare exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), in waters north of Darwin.

A number of RAN assets will take part in the exercise including Anzac Class Frigate Toowoomba, Adelaide Class Frigate HMAS Melbourne and Armidale Class Patrol Boat HMAS Pirie.

Air support will be provided by Royal Australian Air Force Hawks from 79 Squadron and one Orion from 92 Wing.  In addition PEL-AIR Aviation Australia will provide realistic maritime strike and air combat support.

This year, Singaroo will see RSN ships RSS Vigour and RSS Vengeance, two Victory Class Missile Corvettes take part, with one F50 Fokker maritime patrol aircraft providing support.

Singaroo is an important exercise in the RAN’s calendar, with this year marking the 12^th iteration in the series.  It also reaffirms the longstanding relationship between the two navies. 

Exercise Singaroo aims to build warfare interoperability between the two navies and this year will include surface and air firings against towed targets, damage control training, Officer of the Watch manoeuvres, and anti-submarine and air warfare serials.

Deputy Fleet Commander Commodore Simon Cullen, AM, CSC, RAN said, “Exercising interoperability between the navies of Singapore and Australia is an important element of the bilateral Defence relationship between our two countries.”

Exercise Singaroo will take place in the Northern Australian Exercise Area until Friday 18 July, and preceeds multi-national exercise Kakadu, which commences next week.

Media contact:

Defence Media Liaison (02) 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664