SINGAPORE – Intensive training for the Red Lions has been shifted closer to National Day and made more realistic to keep parachutists as sharp as possible on the day of their display jump. This comes after a parachutist was injured in 2022 following a rough landing.

Days after the incident at the National Day Parade (NDP), a review panel was commissioned to examine the training and safety management of the Red Lions.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) on Friday said the panel, which was led by the SAF Inspector-General’s Office and included skydiving experts, did not find any procedural lapses surrounding the NDP 2022 incident.

The panel also assessed that there is a “strong command emphasis and high levels of commitment” from the commandos to ensure display jumps proceed safely. All Red Lions are commandos.

“Substantial resources and efforts have been invested to implement sound training and safety management systems, with practices and safety measures that are comparable with internationally recognised skydiving governing bodies,” said the SAF in a statement, adding that the Red Lions training system is “safe, robust, and progressive”.

On the NDP 2022 incident involving Third Warrant Officer Jeffrey Heng, the panel found that there were “sudden and unexpected changes in wind conditions” during the jump, and that parachutists experienced more turbulence than in rehearsal jumps.

Lieutenant-Colonel Neo Choon Chea, who oversees parachuting and Red Lions training as commanding officer of the Special Operations Tactical Support Centre, said that turbulence cannot be eliminated as it occurs naturally when wind hits solid objects, such as buildings.

To allow parachutists to better combat turbulent conditions, the SAF has made its high-volume training – referring to multiple jumps done within a short span of time – more realistic for the Red Lions, said Lt-Col Neo.

For instance, it has introduced a new training regimen for the Red Lions called display jump preparatory training, which focuses on team jumps in an environment that closely mimics the landing zone conditions for each NDP.

The training, which was conducted overseas in Thailand, was deliberately designed to replicate the conditions at the landing zone. NDP 2023 will be held at the Padang. High-volume training for the Red Lions typically takes place overseas as conducting such training in Singapore requires local airspace to be closed.

Lt-Col Neo said that the landing zone in Thailand has some structures that mimic the structural challenges that parachutists will face in Singapore.

“It’s the same tropical condition as Singapore, and the parachute performs similarly to how it would in Singapore. So it has the most similar and realistic conditions that our Red Lions can train in,” said Lt-Col Neo.

Before training in Thailand, the Red Lions underwent another intensive training course called the skills enhancement programme in the United States. This programme, which focuses more on the individual skills of the Red Lions, comprises various freefall jumps, as well as a canopy piloting course that trains parachutists to handle challenging wind and landing zone conditions.

Introduced in 2018, the programme was suspended in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions but has been re-implemented for NDP parachutists in 2023.

Based on the review panel’s recommendations, both training programmes in the US and Thailand were held as close as possible to the start of NDP rehearsals in Singapore so that parachutists are at peak performance levels.

“It’s just like what athletes do, leading up to their events,” said Lt-Col Neo.

Intense training was moved closer to the NDP, with the Red Lions team starting their regimen in March 2023. The 2022 team started training at a similar intensity in September 2021.

Both the display jump preparatory training and skills enhancement programme last for about two weeks each, with parachutists able to clock between 40 and 50 jumps during each programme.

Compared with 2022’s NDP, which was held at The Float @ Marina Bay, 2023’s landing zone at the Padang will be sited farther from spectator stands, so jumpers will be less susceptible to turbulence, said the SAF. The landing site at the Padang is about twice the size of the site at The Float.

Asked if the review panel’s findings had any bearing on the decision not to have heartland jumps for NDP 2023, SAF said it did not.

“It’s related (instead) to each year’s NDP concept of celebrations,” the SAF said.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had previously said that the review panel’s study would be relevant to the design and construction of NS Square, which will replace the Float @ Marina Bay.

On Friday, chief commando officer Pang Chee Kong said the current design of the NS Square will not have to be altered following the review as it fits safety requirements.