After a five-year hiatus, the Army Open House will return this weekend with a bang, as the organisers promise visitors a fun and immersive showcase of the latest army vehicles, weaponry and capabilities.

With the theme "Army Ready, Soldier Strong", the event at the F1 Pit Building will - for the first time - offer the public a flavour of the army's physical training routines, through a specially designed obstacle course.

To commemorate 50 years of national service (NS) this year, an NS50 Showcase exhibition will chart the evolution of NS and recognise the contributions of national servicemen, through videos, interactive displays and augmented reality technology.

The Army Open House, organised on an ad-hoc basis, was last held in 2012 at the same venue.

Explaining the significance of the upcoming event, Brigadier-General Chua Boon Keat, chairman of the Army Open House Exco, said yesterday during a media briefing: "This is a special year. Singapore commemorates 50 years of national service... We want to share the strength of the army with the public.

"We want to take this opportunity to honour our NSmen, both past and present, for their contributions and sacrifices made in defending the country."

After the F1 Pit Building, the open house will move to Punggol and Jurong East on subsequent weekends. The city leg of the event is expected to attract about 200,000 visitors, and close to 20,000 are expected to turn up at each of the heartland events.

Highlights at the F1 Pit Building include a "Dynamic Defence Display", which will showcase the army's tanks, troop carriers and its latest Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle, which was commissioned only in November last year.

During the 30-minute show, held twice each day during the weekend, the Red Lions free-fall team and the Special Operations Task Force will parachute into the venue.

Visitors can also take rides in four army vehicles, such as the Terrex and Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicle (PRV), or sail down the waters of Marina Bay on the M3G military raft and the Larc V amphibious vehicle.

Due to space constraints, however, the open houses in Jurong East and Punggol will not have the dynamic display, vehicle rides or the obstacle course.

But visitors there can still get up close to the vehicles and weapons.

At all the open houses, visitors to the NS50 Showcase can write down their hopes for the future of NS on cards which will be deposited into a time capsule that will be opened in 2067, when NS hits its 100-year mark.

About 3,300 soldiers comprising full-time national servicemen, regulars and operationally ready NSmen are involved in organising the Army Open House.

Corporal Mohamed Nur'ilyas Mohd Jasman, 21, will be driving the Peacekeeper PRV and taking visitors on a 10-minute ride, navigating a hump and an S-shaped course.

He said: "I hope they can experience that the vehicle is not only comfortable on the inside, but it also can overcome harsh terrain like the outfield and bumpy roads."