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Armour | |
---|---|
Active | November 1968 – present |
Country | Singapore |
Branch | Singapore Army |
Type | Armour |
Role | Heavy armour Armoured infantry |
Size | 4 active battalions |
Part of | Singapore Armed Forces |
Garrison/HQ | Keat Hong Camp Sungei Gedong Camp |
Motto(s) | Swift and Decisive [1] |
Colors | Black |
Equipment | |
Website | official website |
Commanders | |
Chief Armour Officer | BG Goh Si Mien [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. Armour also acts as an active deterrent towards any possible aggressors as it is known to act swiftly, being able to be deployed at a moment's notice to dominate the battlefield, hence its motto "Swift and Decisive". It has four battalions – the 40th, 41st, 42nd and 48th Battalions, Singapore Armoured Regiment (SAR) – based in Keat Hong Camp and Sungei Gedong Camp.
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, [3] while the V-200 Commando vehicles were shared between 41 SAB and 40 SAB. [4] 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. [5] [6] 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. [6]
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 and 46 SAR were subsequently created in 1971 and 1976 respectively.[ citation needed ] The School of Armour and Reserve Armour Training Centre (later renamed Armour Training Centre) were formed later. [6]
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] [6] The Army also subsequently acquired the Bv 206 combat service support tracked vehicle. [6] In July 1999, the Army started using the locally designed and produced Bionix infantry fighting vehicles. [9] In 2004, the Army introduced the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier to enhance combat service support functions in Armour. [6]
On 6 September 1977, 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR received their regimental colours from President Benjamin Henry Sheares at Selarang Camp. [10] On 29 October 1991, 46 SAR received its regimental colours from President Wee Kim Wee. [10] 48 SAR received its regimental colours from President Tony Tan on 1 July 2013 during the Singapore Armed Forces Day Parade.[ citation needed ]
In December 2008, the Army phased out the AMX-13SM1 and replaced it with the newly acquired Leopard 2A4 main battle tank, [11] which was then further upgraded to the Leopard 2SG model. [6]
The Armour formation has four active battalions. Three of them – 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR – are armoured infantry battalions, while the fourth, 48 SAR, is a tank battalion. Besides the four active battalions, there are also reservist battalions numbered in three-digit formats (e.g. 442 SAR) to distinguish them from the active battalions. The battalions are organised under HQ Armour and four brigades – 4 SAB, 8 SAB, 54 SAB and 56 SAB – of which three are each under one of the Singapore Army's three 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, AGTM and reconnaissance elements.
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 |
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 |
Armour units use a wide range of vehicles, supporting its scope of armoured combat and engineering missions. This includes locally developed armoured platforms such as the Bionix IFV, Hunter AFV and Bronco ATTC, as well as procured overseas equipment upgraded to fit local operation context. [13] [14]
Vehicle | Image | Type | Quantity | Origin | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tanks | ||||||
Leopard 2SG | Main battle tank | 204+ [15] [16] | Germany | Upgraded with AMAP composite armour by IBD & ST Kinetics. Includes 30 spare tanks, excludes 19 Bergepanzer-3 Büffel ARVs. [13] | [17] | |
Armoured vehicle | ||||||
Hunter AFV | Infantry fighting vehicle | 3 | Singapore | Production and operational model revealed in June 2019. More on order to replace M113 APC. | ||
Bionix II | Infantry fighting vehicle | 300 [18] | Singapore | Variants include Bionix 40/50, Bionix 25. | [19] | |
M113A2 Ultra IFV + M113A2 Ultra OWS | Armoured personnel carrier | 720 [18] | USA Singapore | Originally an M113A1, upgraded to A2 standard. Also used by the RSAF as SHORAD system. | [17] | |
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier | Amphibious armoured vehicle | 400 [18] | Singapore | [19] | ||
Bandvagn 206 | Armoured all-terrain carrier | 300 [18] | Sweden | Artillery versions mounted with ARTHUR (radar). Most units have been retired. Some retired units transferred to the Singapore Civil Defence Force for jungle firefighting operations as a Tracked Firefighting Vehicle (TFV). | [19] | |
Engineering vehicles | ||||||
Pionierpanzer AEV3 Kodiak | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | unknown | Germany Switzerland | AEV based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | ||
Bergepanzer Büffel | Armoured recovery vehicle | 20 | Germany | ARV based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | [ citation needed ] | |
Panzerschnellbrücke Leguan | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | 10 | Germany | AVLB based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | [17] | |
Bionix Trailblazer | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | unknown | Singapore | [ citation needed ] | ||
Bionix ARV | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | unknown | Singapore | |||
Bionix BLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | unknown | Singapore | |||
FV180 Tractor | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | 36 | UK | Phased out. | [17] | |
M60 AVLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | 12 | USA | [17] | ||
M728 | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | 8 | USA | Phased out. | [17] | |
SM1 AVLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | unknown | France Singapore | Phased out. |
There are two main combat vocations within Armour: Tank Operator and Armoured Infantry. Each personnel's vocation varies depending on which unit he is posted to. Tank operators will be trained to maintain and fire the tank, while armoured infanteers will be trained in basic infantry and armoured warfare tactics.
The Armour formation's main training institute is called the Armour Training Institute (ATI), in Sungei Gedong Camp, which trains and evaluates all active and NS Armour units. [20]
The five training centres under ATI are:
ATI maintains a combat armoured infantry company containing three platoons to play the role of aggressors, otherwise known as OPFOR, against active and reserve units during ATEC evaluation. Their role is to simulate a real enemy force through the use of the battlefield instrumentation (BFI) system. [21]
The formation conducts numerous overseas training exercises for its armour units to practice due to lack of manoeuvre area in Singapore.
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