Updated 8 July 2025

IMDEX Asia 2025

IMDEX Asia 2025 was held in Singapore from 8-10 May, and it was the seventh time King Arthur’s Writes had attended the naval exhibition in the island state of Singapore. However, changes to the event over the years have not all been beneficial. For example, more and more impositions are placed on media about taking photographs at Changi Naval Base. For many, the warship visits are an important component of any IMDEX event, but the security protocols and chaperoning by organisers seems excessive.

This year’s IMDEX Asia was also an extremely subdued event at the Changi Exhibition Centre. Anecdotally, it seemed the quietest show that King Arthur’s Writes has attended in Singapore, with a shortage of major companies exhibiting and very little real news emerging. Indeed, the only saving grace news-wise was the Republic of Singapore Navy’s announcements that it had contracted for two more Type 218SG submarines (bringing the fleet to six) from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Germany, and that it was buying new, unmanned mine countermeasures systems from Thales and ST Engineering.

Unfortunately, the number of warships berthed at Changi Naval Base also seemed to be in decline. Nor were there too many showstoppers tied up, with many of the vessels or their classes present having been seen before. Perhaps one of the stars was the Italian FREMM-class frigate ITS Antonio Marceglia. Another newcomer was KRI Bung Karno from the Indonesian Navy, this vessel serving a dual purpose as both a corvette and as a presidential yacht. Japan sent a Mogami-class frigate again, as the country underscores its hopes of winning Australia’s Project Sea 3000 multipurpose frigate competition.