Several new military equipment, including two next-generation armoured vehicles, were unveiled publicly at the Army Open House, which ended yesterday.
A prototype of the Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) was on display at the event that kicked off on Saturday at the F1 Pit Building.
Referred to as the Next Generation ARV, the tracked ARV will be tasked to support the Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV), which also made its debut.
The two vehicles are part of a family of Next Generation Armoured Vehicles under development by the Defence Science and Technology Agency and Singapore Technologies Kinetics, which was awarded the contract for the AFV by the Ministry of Defence in March.
The design of the ARV has not been decided. The prototype weighs about 29 tonnes and measures 6.9m long. Jane's International Defence Review reported last Friday that the ARV would be operated by a three-man crew, comprising a vehicle commander, a driver and an automotive specialist technician.
It added that the prototype's primary equipment comprises a knuckle-telescopic boom crane for lifting that can move 360 degrees and a front-oriented recovery winch with a stated maximum pull of 25.5 tonnes. It is also equipped with nine mounted cameras which provide all-round visual coverage for situational awareness and protection.
Several other military equipment, which have been launched at Mindef events, also made their debut at the Open House, which was last held in 2012.
These include the Very Slender Vessel, a 16m-long, 2.4m-wide and 2.5m-tall vessel used by Singapore Armed Forces Commandos for high-speed interdiction missions at speeds of more than 40 knots.
Others include the Safari Weapon Locating Radar, which can detect up to 10 targets such as rockets, mortars and artillery simultaneously; and the Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle, which provides motorised infantry forces with improved firepower, protection and situational awareness to enhance their survivability.
The Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicle, designed to carry out security operations at key civilian and military installations, was also shown in public for the first time at the Open House, which held a dynamic defence display. The vehicle has a remote-control weapon system that allows its crew to engage targets accurately.
Over the three days, the Open House saw 92,000 visitors, including Mr Caleb Garcia, 48.
"Compared to the equipment used in my time, it's a lot more high-tech now," said the church music director, who served his national service from 1988 to 1990.
The Open House will move to two heartland locations over the next two weekends but will not feature the dynamic defence display. It will be held from Friday to Sunday at the field next to Punggol MRT station, and from Friday next week to June 11 at the field next to Jurong East MRT station, from 10am to 10pm.
