The Taliban has developed new ordnance that are more lethal and the Bronco hulls passed the bomb tests with flying colours. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVING its armoured vehicle blown up was part of the frenetic six-month sales pitch masterminded by Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) to win the British Army's $330-million deal for its Bronco all-terrain carrier.
Well, not the entire personnel carrier but two hulls of the Singapore-developed Bronco all-terrain tracked carrier.
They were shipped at STK's expense to the United Kingdom to undergo brutal tests against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mines.
British forces operating in Afghanistan urgently require all-terrain vehicles which are superior to the Viking currently deployed there. The Viking ismanufactured by the Swedish subsidiary of British defence company, BAE Systems.
Although upgraded several times with armour plating and other protective measures, a number of them were destroyed by Taliban mines and roadside bombs, resulting in British casualties.
The Taliban has developed new ordnance that are more lethal than existing equipment like the Viking can handle. Enhanced protection is thus urgently required.
The Bronco hulls passed the bomb tests with flying colours.
This, plus other tough evaluation processes, tipped the scale in the Bronco's favour, leading to the United Kingdom inking a $330-million deal to acquire 100 of the vehicles.
They would be designated by the British as the Warthog, because its ungainly shape resembles that of the hardy animal.
The success of the Singapore defence company in the first export sale of the Bronco does not come easy.
The art of the deal in the Bronco campaign reflects what Singapore Inc represents - quality technology, no-nonsense approach, gritty can-do spirit, high responsiveness to market demands and well-placed confidence as well as a willingness to take risks. Calculated risks.
This confidence and risk-taking were seen in the shipping of the Bronco hulls to the UK for bomb tests.
Said Mr Patrick Choy, STK's Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer: 'We did this without hassle. We sent the hulls to the UK, where British protection specialists subjected them to blast tests.
'That is why the British have confidence that the solution we provide for protection is indeed what would meet their needs.'
What were the factors that clinched the groundbreaking deal, one that is particularly sweet after Singapore narrowly lost a plum US$4 billion (S$6 billion) order in 2000 to supply the Bionix Armoured Fighting Vehicle to the US Army?
A well-tested product
The Bronco has already been in service with the Singapore Armed Forces for eight years.
Described as one Hercules of a military vehicle and yet incredibly light-footed, it has been used by the SAF in training in many different countries.
Its versatility and amphibious capabilities were proven when it was deployed to South-east Asian countries for post-tsunami relief operations.
The Bronco has also gone through many reliability trials, both locally and overseas.
Said Mr Choy: 'It is a tested product, a ready product, a reliable product, one that meets the exigencies of the conflicts that a modern army faces today.'
Technical superiority
The protection level demanded by the British Army was one that has never been seen before for an all-terrain carrier, due to the increased lethality of Taliban roadside bombs and mines.
STK had to come up with solutions for added protection without sacrificing mobility.
Added protection means added weight and added weight means the performance and the mobility of the vehicle are degraded.
So, STK engineers have to balance weight with mobility. The British Army is currently stretching its existing Viking ATCs above their limits - by some two tonnes.
The Bronco is a bigger vehicle, has a larger payload and larger volume. Because of this, the vehicle can be enhanced with armour to meet current threat levels without losing mobility or payload.
The other challenges are Afghanistan's difficult terrain and weather conditions, which swing between extreme hot and extreme cold.
The extreme heat of the Afghan desert means operating the vehicle at 50 deg C. The other extreme is winter, which can see a temperature of minus 30 deg C.
Coupled with these extremes of climate, the terrain is sparse. So, a lot of dust is kicked up by vehicles. Filtration becomes an issue as the engines of vehicles get easily clogged up with dust. The Bronco can operate not only in extreme weather and dusty conditions but also in difficult off-road terrain of mountains and valleys.
Commenting on the Singapore- made ATC, the British Ministry of Defence said: 'Warthog will be true to its name as a beast of a vehicle that can manoeuvre across difficult terrain, power-up steep gradients and even cling to slopes. 'Warthog will provide improved protection to our troops in Afghanistan's green zone, where water and a fragile infrastructure make it difficult for other vehicles to operate.
'It will be able to move through deep water while carrying troops at the heart of our operations.'
Responsiveness of stk team
Another factor which helped to clinch the deal is STK's responsiveness and sensitivity to the demands of the customer.
The company started to explore the possibility of bidding for the British deal only in June last year. It took just six months before the contract was sealed in December.
'For us, this was a record,' commented Mr Choy. 'To close a contract in six months is really unusual.'
The swiftness of STK's response is remarkable.
'Once we knew that the British wanted something for their operations in Afghanistan, we immediately put together a
team,' Mr Choy said. STK provided the British with all the answers they needed in their evaluation of the Bronco, including test data kept by the company and references that the British could check, such as the National Automotive
Testing Centre in the US where the Bronco had been put through its paces.
The SAF chipped in as well by providing data of its own experience in using the Bronco.
Meeting delivery schedule
The British Army urgently needed
the shipment of ATCs because it had to quickly staunch troop casualties in Afghanistan with a vehicle that offered improved protection.
STK had to assure the British that delivery would be on schedule and on time. Its response: Move first before a contract was even guaranteed.
Said Mr Choy: 'The delivery schedule is really very tight. To deliver vehicles after a few months of signing a contract is
not a very easy thing to do.' The manufacturing of vehicles depends not just on production capacity but also on the purchase and procurement of materials.
Some of these materials take a long time to acquire, particularly steel which saw a surge in worldwide demand in the past year.
'You have to queue up to get the materials,' Mr Choy commented. 'What we did was to ask the British: You tell us the delivery date, you tell us when you want it in theatre.
'Based on that, even though we haven't got the contract in the bag, we worked backwards and placed a pre-order of materials. 'That cut short some of the lead time and that is why we can meet the delivery deadline,' he said.
The British appreciated very much dealing with a company that was forward-looking and flexible enough to move first before a deal was sealed.
Said Mr Choy: 'If you ask me what a customer would look for in a supplier or vendor, it is a demonstration that we're willing to go the extra mile and that we're very confident in meeting the required specifications and delivery schedule.'
Beyond afghanistan
The Bronco deal has put Singapore on the cusp of a new era as a developer and producer of state-of-the-art, high-performance weapons systems.
Not only developing countries but also First World ones are beginning to recognise that Singapore has the technology and capability to produce quality equipment to meet their needs.
Singapore's defence industry will not manufacture everything under the sun but will continue to specialise in niche areas where it has an edge.
For instance, it is a market leader in the design, development and production of 40mm weapons and ammunition.
In 2007, the British placed a $65million order for 40mm grenades from STK.
Singapore continues to reinforce its pole position in this area with new innovations, such as the air-burst round.
STK's self-destruct 40mm ammunition has a 99.8 per cent reliability and has been widely used in Scandinavia.
And it is not just battlefields that these Made-in-Singapore defence equipment will be deployed.
A product like the Bronco is very versatile and can be deployed in peacetime missions, like relief operations or civil emergencies. Besides disaster relief, the Bronco is an ideal peacekeeping vehicle. It is not too aggressive; it has rubber tracks that won't rip off macadam or damage property.
Said Mr Choy: 'There is potential in other areas and we will not stop improving the product.
We will still be the market leader in this class of vehicles.'
Winning the British deal is only half the story. Delivering the vehicles on schedule and then ensuring that they
perform to expectations and specifications on the Afghan battlefield make up the other critical half.
