Royal Brunei Navy

The Royal Brunei Navy was formed on 14 June 1965 (1965-06-14), four years after the formation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. It was initially known as Boat Section of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Its manning strength was only 18 in number, including one officer from the First Battalion who had attended a basic military course in Malaya in 1961 until 1964. This Boat Section was equipped with a number of aluminium boats, known as Temuai in Malay and Fast Assault Boats (FABs).[2] The role of the Boat Section was solely to provide transportation of infantry elements to the interior of Brunei. As the organisation expanded with the aid of stable economic growth, the Boat Section was renamed the Boat Company in 1966.[2]

The Boat Company received three river patrol boats in 1966. These boats were named KDB Bendahara, KDB Maharajalela, and KDB Kermaindera. All the ships were crewed by Bruneians, led by a qualified commanding officer. In the same year, the strength of the Boat Company was enhanced with hovercraft vessels type SR.N5, followed by SR.N6 in 1968.[3]

The first fast patrol craft was accepted in 1968 and named KDB Pahlawan. It became the first flagship for the Boat Company.[3]

The Boat Company was reorganised as Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei (ALP AMDB or the First Sea Battalion, Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in Malay). It was one of the larger branches of Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. During that time, the estimated strength of Angkatan Laut Pertama, Askar Melayu DiRaja Brunei was 42 personnel, including an officer, while assets consisted of one fast patrol craft, three river patrol boats, two hovercraft vessels, fast assault boats, a few long boats, and Temuai (aluminium boats).[4]

In 1971, the First Sea Battalion received two more coastal patrol craft, KDB Saleha and KDB Masna.[5]

The First Sea Battalion was reorganised again on 1 October 1991 as the Royal Brunei Navy, due to the growth of the armed forces in Brunei after independence from the United Kingdom.[6]

In 2019, the RBN unveiled the Digital Disruptive Pattern BDU in digital blue colours at the 58th anniversary celebration at the Bolkiah Garrison.[7]

The roles of the Royal Brunei Navy are:

• Deterrence against attack mounted by sea-borne forces
• Protection of national offshore resources
• Maintaining Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC)
• Surveillance of the 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres; 230 miles) EEZ
• Maritime Search & Rescue operations
• Support of units of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces operational activities
• Provide support for other security agencies and ministries as ordered by Ministry of Defence of Brunei.

The Royal Brunei Navy is divided into four main components as follows:[8]

• Fleet
• Administration
• Training
• Logistics

The current fleet of the Royal Brunei Navy is as follows:[9][10]

class or name	image	builder	type	year entered service	details	ships
offshore patrol boat
Darussalam class[11]		Lürssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack,  Germany	offshore patrol vessel	2011-2014	80 metres (262 ft) OPV ordered from Lürssen Werft. Armament: 1 × Bofors 57 mm Mk3 2 x Oerlikon 20mm/85 KAA 4 × Exocet MM40 Block 3	06 Darussalam 07 Darulehsan 08 Darulaman 09 Daruttaqwa
Inshore patrol boat
Ijtihad class[12]		Lürssen Werft, Bremen-Vegesack,  Germany	patrol boat	2010	41 metres (135 ft) PV ordered from Lürssen Werft. Armament: 1 x Rheinmetall MLG 27 mm gun 2 x 7.62 mm machine gun	17 Itjihad 18 Berkat 19 Syafaat 20 Afiat
Fearless class		ST Engineering,  Singapore	patrol vessel	-	Formerly commissioned into the Singapore Navy, later gifted to Brunei in March 2023.[13] Armament: 1 x Oto Melara 76 mm gun 4 × STK 50MG 12.7 mm (0.50 in) HMG Mistral missile EuroTorp A244/S Mod 1 torpedoes	As-Siddiq Al-Faruq
fast attack craft
Mustaed class[14]		Marinteknik Shipyard Tuas,  Singapore	fast attack craft	2011	27 metres (89 ft) FAC based on Lürssen Werft FIB25-012 design. Built in Singapore. Armament: 2 x 7.62 mm machine gun.	21 Mustaed
Waspada class[15]		Vosper Thornycroft,  Singapore	fast attack craft	1978–1979	37 metres (121 ft) FAC ordered from Vosper Thornycroft. Total of 3 ships. Decommissioned April 2011. 1 in Brunei service and 2 donated to Indonesia as KRI Salawaku (642) and KRI Badau (643). Armament: 2 x Oerlikon 30 mm GCM-BO1 2 Aérospatiale Exocet MM38 (removed)	P02 Waspada
landing craft
Serasa class		Transfield Shipbuilding, Henderson,  Australia	amphibious warfare craft (LCM)	1996	Armament: 2 x 20 mm/90 calibre Oerlikon GAM B01 AA * 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns	L33 Serasa L34 Teraban
Damuan class		Cheverton Workboats, Cowes,  England	landing craft utility	1976-1977	unarmed, carries 30 tons of cargo	L32 Puni
support vessel
YFL		Cheverton Boatworks, Cowes,  England	support launch	1982	used as tug and dive tender	Burong Nuri

Pahlawan-class patrol boat

• KDB Pahlawan P-01 — Brunei's first patrol boat
• KDB Bakti

F2000 (Nakhoda Ragam-class) corvettes

KDB Nakhoda Ragam (28) on the River Clyde on 14 July 2007.

The Royal Brunei Navy aimed to undergo a large-scale modernisation, with the upgrading of the Muara Naval Base, and the purchase of three British-built corvettes from BAE Systems Naval Ships, Scotland. The ships were armed with MBDA Exocet Block II anti-ship missiles and MBDA Seawolf surface-to-air missiles. The contract was awarded to GEC-Marconi in 1995: the Nakhoda Ragam class OPVs were launched in January 2001, June 2001, and June 2002, at the then BAE Systems Marine yard at Scotstoun. These were completed but not delivered from BAE Systems Naval Ships in Scotstoun due to claims by the Royal Brunei Navy that the ships fail to meet the required specifications.

The contract dispute was the subject of arbitration.[17][18] When the dispute was settled, the vessels were handed over to Royal Brunei Technical Services in June 2007.[19] In 2007, Brunei contracted the German Lürssen ship yard to find a new customer for the three ships, though by 2011 the vessels remained unsold and laid up at Barrow-in-Furness.[20]

These ships were eventually purchased by the Indonesian Navy and renamed Bung Tomo-class corvettes.

Nakhoda Ragam-class corvettes

pennant number	name	builder	launched	commissioned	status
28 (358)	KDB Nakhoda Ragam KRI John Lie	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun,  United Kingdom	13 January 2001	18 July 2014	commissioned (Indonesia)
29 (359)	KDB Bendahara Sakam KRI Usman Harun	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun,  United Kingdom	23 January 2001	18 July 2014	commissioned (Indonesia)
30 (357)	KDB Jerambak KRI Bung Tomo	BAE Systems Marine, Scotstoun,  United Kingdom	22 June 2002	11 July 2014	commissioned (Indonesia)

The administration of First Sea Battalion moved to a new base at Jalan Tanjong Pelumpong Muara in 1974. This base is now known as the Muara Naval Base. The Muara Naval Base serves as the headquarters of the Royal Brunei Navy. It was expanded in 1997 to include facilities to support three offshore support vessels.[21]

Muara Naval Base is frequently visited by foreign warships, most notable are the frequent visits by British Royal Navy ships. Persekutuan Pengakap Negara Brunei Darussalam visits the Naval base sometimes too.

The Royal Brunei Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy co-operate with each other through an annual joint exercise, code-named Exercise Pelican.

Officers and soldiers of the Royal Brunei Navy are also sent overseas for advanced training, generally to Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States of America.[22]

Exercise SEAGULL 03-07 was held in Brunei from 2 to 10 September 2007, between the Royal Brunei Navy and their Philippine Navy counterparts. Participating ships include the Philippine Navy corvette BRP Rizal (PS-74) and patrol gunboat BRP Federico Martir (PG-385), and Royal Brunei Navy ships KDB Pejuang P03, KDB Seteria P04, KDB Perwira P14 and KDB Penyerang P16. They conducted series of drills, including mine clearance, under-water operations, replenishment at sea, night encounter exercise, boarding exercise, and other naval tactical exercises.[23]

KDB Maharajalela (P-22) is on display at Muzium Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei or Royal Brunei Armed Forces Museum, Bandar Seri Begawan.[24]

• 
  Royal Brunei Navy divers are lowered from rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (ARS-50) during familiarisation dives on 8 August 2005.
• 
  KDB Nakhoda Ragam (28), KDB Bendahara Sakam (29), and KDB Jerambak (30) sitting outside BAE Scotstoun, Scotland on 2 September 2007.
• 
  Royal Brunei Navy personally salute stance as USS Jarrett (FFG-33) pulls into Muara Port, Brunei during CARAT 2007.
• 
  Members of the Brunei Special Forces rush towards the pilot house of USS Howard (DDG-83) during a visit, board, search and seizure exercise on 18 August 2008.
• 
  US Coast Guard directs Royal Brunei Navy personnel aboard USS Crommelin (FFG-37) during CARAT 2009.
• 
  A Royal Brunei Navy sailor watch as passage way aboard USCGC Mellon (WHEC-717) during CARAT 2010.

• Royal Brunei Armed Forces
• Royal Brunei Air Force
• Royal Brunei Land Forces

Media related to Royal Brunei Navy at Wikimedia Commons