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Armour (Singapore Army)

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Armour
a yellow armour-clad right fist with a pair of crossed bayonets behind it against a red-orange background
Logo of the Armour Formation
ActiveNovember 1968 – present
Country Singapore
Branch Singapore Army
TypeArmour
RoleHeavy armour
Armoured infantry
Size4 active battalions
Part ofSingapore Armed Forces
Garrison/HQKeat Hong Camp
Sungei Gedong Camp
Motto(s)"Swift and Decisive"[1]
Colors  Black
Equipment
WebsiteOfficial website
Commanders
Chief Armour OfficerCOL Lim Han Yong[1]

Armour is the formation of the Singapore Army responsible for armoured warfare. It provides mobile firepower support and rapid mobility for the Army by helping to spearhead an advance past the enemy defences and seizing and holding key objectives on the battlefield. It has four active battalions—the 40th, 41st, 42nd and 48th Battalions, Singapore Armoured Regiment (SAR)—based in Keat Hong Camp and Sungei Gedong Camp, as well as an undisclosed number of reservist battalions.

Armour acts as an active deterrent towards any possible aggressors as it is known to act swiftly, being able to be deployed at a moment of notice to dominate the battlefield, hence its motto "Swift and Decisive".[3]

History

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The Singapore Army's first armour unit, the 41st Singapore Armoured Battalion (41 SAB), was created in Keat Hong Camp in November 1968. In 1969, the Army purchased V-200 Commando vehicles and AMX-13 tanks, and equipped a newly formed armour unit, the 40th Battalion (40 SAB), with the AMX-13 tanks,[4] while the V-200 Commando vehicles were shared between 41 SAB and 40 SAB.[5] 40 SAB and 41 SAB had their first mono-intakes in March and July 1970 respectively.[citation needed]

On 9 August 1969, 18 AMX-13 tanks from 40 SAB were showcased in a drive-past along St Andrew's Road during the National Day Parade.[6][3] The Army has since organised armour column drive-pasts during the National Day Parades in 1978, 1982, 1984, 1993, 2002, 2010, 2015 and 2019.[7] In 1987, the AMX-13 was upgraded to the AMX-13SM1,[8] which had a diesel engine and upgraded track and suspension systems.[3]

In July 1970, following the creation of the 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB), 41 SAB and 40 SAR were renamed 41 SAR and 40 SAR respectively. 42 SAR was formed on 1 October 1971 at Selarang Camp when one armoured infantry company from 41 SAR was transferred over to form 42 SAR's first company. In June 1972, 41 SAR took in another company from 41 SAR.[9] 46 SAR was subsequently created in 1976.[citation needed] The School of Armour and Reserve Armour Training Centre (later renamed Armour Training Centre) were formed later.[3]

In 1973, the Army acquired M113A1 armoured personnel carriers to replace the V-200 Commando, and further upgraded the M113A1 to the M113A2 Ultra IFV in 1993.[1][3] The Army also subsequently acquired the Bv 206 combat service support tracked vehicle.[3] In July 1999, the Army started using the locally designed and produced Bionix infantry fighting vehicles.[10] In 2004, the Army introduced the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier to enhance combat service support functions in Armour.[3]

On 6 September 1977, 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR received their regimental colours from President Benjamin Henry Sheares at Selarang Camp.[11] On 29 October 1991, 46 SAR received its regimental colours from President Wee Kim Wee.[11] In 2009, 48 SAR was inaugurated and received its new regimental colours from President Tony Tan on 1 July 2013 during the Singapore Armed Forces Day Parade.[12]

In 2006, 42 SAR became the first Armour battalion to use the battlefield management system in its armoured vehicles.[13]

In December 2008, the Army phased out the AMX-13SM1 and replaced it with the newly acquired Leopard 2A4 main battle tank,[14] which was then further upgraded to the Leopard 2SG model.[3]

Organisation

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The Armour formation has four active battalions. Three – 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR – are armoured infantry battalions, while the fourth, 48 SAR, is a tank battalion. In addition, there are a number of reservist armour battalions distinguishable from the active battalions by their three-digit numbering (e.g. 442 SAR). These battalions are organised under HQ Armour or into one of four armoured brigades - 4 SAB, 8 SAB, 54 SAB and 56 SAB - three of which are assigned to each of the Singapore Army's combined arms divisions.

An armoured infantry battalion is typically made up of five companies: one HQ company, three combat companies, and one support company. The HQ company comprises the various combat service support elements, while the combat companies have four platoons each. The support company contains the mortar, pioneer/engineer, ATGM and reconnaissance elements.

List of Armour Brigades
Name Division Motto Headquarters
4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB) Terror on Tracks Sungei Gedong Camp
8th Singapore Armoured Brigade (8 SAB) 3rd Division Valiant Thrust Keat Hong Camp
54th Singapore Armoured Brigade (54 SAB) 6th Division We Spearhead Kranji Camp II
56th Singapore Armoured Brigade (56 SAB) 9th Division Bold and Decisive Selarang Camp
List of Armour Battalions[15]
Name Brigade Motto Base
40th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (40 SAR) 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade Victory Unto Victory Keat Hong Camp
41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (41 SAR) 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade Pressure Forward Keat Hong Camp
42nd Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (42 SAR) 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade The Cutting Edge Sungei Gedong Camp
48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade Rapid Dominance Sungei Gedong Camp

Training

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The Armour Training Institute (ATI), located in Sungei Gedong Camp, trains and evaluates all active and reservist Armour battalions.[16] It is subdivided into five training centres as follows: the School of Armour (SOA), the Armoured Battle Group Training Centre (ABGTC), the Armour Combat Training Centre (ACTC), the Main Battle Tank Training Centre (MBTTC), and the Active Unit Training Centre (AUTC).

The ATI maintains a combat armoured infantry company comprising three platoons to role-play as enemies (known as OPFOR) against active and reservist units during evaluations. They simulate an enemy force through the use of the Battlefield Instrumentation (BFI) system[17] introduced in 2006.[18]

Overseas exercises

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The Singapore Armed Forces collaborate with the armed forces of other countries to conduct overseas training exercises for Armour units.

List of overseas exercises
Name Location Description Reference
Exercise Wallaby Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area, Queensland, Australia An annual exercise in which Armour units engage in live firing drills with the Australian Army or receive evaluations on their performances. [19]
Exercise Matilda Mount Bundey Training Area, Northern Territory, Australia A non-reciprocal, company-level exercise involving 48 SAR and the Australian 1st Armoured Regiment to enhance tactical skills and inter-operability. [20]
Exercise Bold Kurukshetra Babina, Uttar Pradesh, India A joint exercise involving an armoured infantry combat company of the Singapore Army and armour units of the Indian Army. [21]
Exercise Panzer Strike Bergen-Hohne Training Area, Lower Saxony, Germany An exercise involving 48 SAR and the School of Armour honing their gunnery and driving skills by firing on the move and practising platoon movements. 48 SAR also conducts live-firing exercises with tank units of the German Army. [1]

Equipment

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Armour units use a wide range of vehicles for armoured combat and engineering missions. The vehicles include locally developed armoured platforms such as the Bionix IFV, Hunter AFV and Bronco ATTC, as well as imported foreign platforms upgraded and/or adapted to suit local conditions.[22][23]

Vehicle Image Type Quantity Origin Notes Reference
Leopard 2SG Main battle tank 224+[24][25]  Germany Upgraded with AMAP composite armour by ST Kinetics[22] [26]
Hunter AFV Hunter AFV of the Singapore Army Infantry fighting vehicle 3[citation needed]  Singapore Production and operational model revealed in June 2019[citation needed]
Bionix II Infantry fighting vehicle 300[27]  Singapore Variants include Bionix 40/50, Bionix 25 [28]
M113A2 Ultra IFV / M113A2 Ultra OWS Armoured personnel carrier 720[27]  United States Upgraded to the A2 model; also used by the Air Force for SHORAD [26]
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier Armoured articulated tracked vehicle 400[27]  Singapore [28]
Bandvagn 206 Armoured articulated tracked vehicle 300[27]  Sweden The ones used by the Artillery were mounted with the ARTHUR radar; some retired units are used by the Singapore Civil Defence Force for jungle firefighting operations as a Tracked Firefighting Vehicle (TFV) [28]
Bergepanzer Büffel Armoured recovery vehicle 20[citation needed]  Germany Based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis[citation needed]
Bionix Armoured Recovery Vehicle Armoured recovery vehicle  Singapore

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Army". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  2. ^ "File Not Found". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Armour". Ministry of Defence (Singapore). 6 July 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  4. ^ "File Not Found". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  5. ^ "File Not Found" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  6. ^ [1] [dead link]
  7. ^ Auto, Hermes (30 June 2019). "Military mobile column returns to NDP 2019 to showcase new assets, pay tribute to Merdeka Generation | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  8. ^ "File Not Found". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  9. ^ "MINDEF - News - Factsheet - 42 SAR - Army First Bionix Armed Battle Group". Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  10. ^ *"SAF's First Infantry Fighting Vehicle Armoured Battle Group is Operational". Ministry of Defence (Singapore). 30 July 1999. Retrieved 2 May 2009.
  11. ^ a b "File Not Found" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  12. ^ "The Singapore Army - 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) receiving their new Regimental Colours. 48 SAR was inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and then Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean on 26 June 2009. The inauguration of 48 SAR signified the operational readiness of the battalion. | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Cyberpioneer - News - Bionix II set and ready to go (23 Oct 06)". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  14. ^ "File Not Found". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  15. ^ "File Not Found" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  16. ^ "File Not Found" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  17. ^ "File Not Found". Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Army Introduces New Battlefield Instrumentation System" (PDF). National Archives of Singapore. Ministry of Defence (Singapore). 27 September 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Exercise Wallaby boosts SAF capabilities - Channel NewsAsia". Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  20. ^ "Australia, Singapore armed forces conduct Exercise Matilda 2012 :: Strategic Defence Intelligence". Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  21. ^ "India and Singapore conduct joint Exercise Bold Kurukshetra 2013 :: Strategic Defence Intelligence". Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  22. ^ a b "The Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tank: More Bite and Firepower for Our Armour". Ministry of Defence, Singapore. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  23. ^ "SAF unveils the Hunter – the Army's first fully digital fighting vehicle". CNA. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  24. ^ Yeo, Mike (25 February 2019). "German documents reveal Singapore received more Leopard 2 tanks". Defense News.
  25. ^ Yeo, Mike (25 February 2019). "German documents reveal Singapore received more Leopard 2 tanks". Defense News. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  26. ^ a b "SIPRI arms transfer database". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  27. ^ a b c d "Singapore Singaporean army land ground forces military equipment armoured armored vehicle UK | Singapore Singaporean army land ground forces UK | Asia UK".
  28. ^ a b c Jane's World Armies 2017
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