SINGAPORE - A new Armour Simulation Centre was opened on Thursday (Dec 1), which will help the army's tank drivers, gunners and commanders hone their skills in realistic simulators, to complement their field training.

Located at Sungei Gedong Camp, the centre includes 10 simulator cabins for drivers. They can be used to train operators of different armoured vehicles - such as the Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tank (MBT), the Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier and Bionix II Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV).

The simulator can put drivers through "varying weather and terrain conditions, as well as basic, advanced and operational driving scenarios", the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said.

It also offers movement in six degrees of freedom (6DOF) - forward, backwards, up, down, left and right.

A 36-cabin Armour Gunnery and Manoeuvre Simulator (AGMS) is also housed at the centre.

Like the driving simulator, it can be configured to train soldiers using different vehicles, such as the Leopard 2SG MBT, the Bionix I and II IFV, and the Ultra M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier.

"With simulator training configurable up to company level, our commanders are able to hone their command and control, fire and manoeuvre, battlefield coordination, and gunnery competencies prior to their field training," Mindef said.

To boost realism during simulator training, 15 of the AGMS' cabins can also be integrated with a battlefield management system.

Mindef said that the Armour Simulation Centre will help optimise training space and training time.

The facility's opening on Thursday was officiated by Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung.