SAF Forging Sabre exercise in US features larger drone fleet, real-time software updates

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho – Singapore’s armed forces will deploy drones to a much larger extent in an ongoing overseas training exercise, which allows soldiers to hone their war-fighting skills in realistic, modern scenarios.

From micro or mini drones to the Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a total of 24 drones will be deployed in 2025’s Exercise Forging Sabre – one of the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) most complex overseas drills. The previous edition in 2023 involved 11 drones.

Making their debut is a new team of software developers from a military start-up within the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). Known as Raid – RSAF Agile Innovation Digital – the team develops digital solutions and analyses data to help the SAF strike its targets more quickly and accurately.

The biennial exercise – in its 10th iteration – runs from Sept 6 to 21 at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, where the airspace for the training area is more than 20 times the size of Singapore.

Exercise Forging Sabre tests the SAF’s integrated “sense and strike” capabilities in complex, realistic scenarios. The term refers to the SAF’s ability to detect threats quickly, decide on a response, and take precise action.

More than 800 personnel are involved in the 2025 exercise, which brings together air and ground assets from the RSAF, the Singapore Army and the Digital and Intelligence Service to train and validate advanced military technology.

It features assets including the F-15SG and upgraded F-16 fighter jets, AH-64D Apache helicopters, the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport and Textron unmanned aircraft systems, as well as drones such as Ascent Spirit, Skydio X10 and Neros Archer.

The 2025 exercise is unique for two reasons, said Brigadier-General Teo Soo Yeow, director of the exercise, pointing to the expanded fleet of drones and the ability to update software during the exercise.

“(The use of drones) is a reflection of some of the lessons we have learnt from recent conflicts,” he said, citing the Russia-Ukraine war.

“It expands our toolkits and gives us a lot more options to orchestrate decision strikes more promptly and more accurately.”

While drones can never fully replace platforms manned by soldiers, there would be “missed opportunities” if small drones were not used, as they are inexpensive, can operate in various weather conditions, and provide backup when other systems fail, said BG Teo.

“You cannot always count on one single system,” he said. “Manned and unmanned (platforms) need to play complementary roles.”

BG Teo noted that modern battlefields are contested and degraded, with enemies using tactics such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and communications jamming to disrupt navigation and communications. That is why troops must be trained to counter such tactics, he said, adding that the ability to adapt software quickly is key. 

Military Expert 5 Rizvan Jacob, a software developer at Raid, said the team’s involvement in the 2025 exercise allows them to make on-the-fly updates to the command and control information system (CCIS) – the software that provides soldiers with a live overview of the battlefield.

Updates can be made immediately based on requests from the command post, where operational decisions are made.

“In the modern battlefield where things are uncertain and dynamic, our air force expects that we need to adapt how we operate in response to the changing operational requirements,” said ME5 Jacob.

“We design, develop, and then deliver those changes to the mission-critical software that enable our (command post battle staff) to quickly adapt.”

This could mean adding new data sources or integrating new platforms into the CCIS, he said, adding that the team also relies on automated tools and artificial intelligence to speed up their processes.

The CCIS has also been improved – it now uses an algorithm to match and deploy UAVs as per mission requests, cutting planning time significantly.

Previously, soldiers operating the system had to manually pair each request with a UAV, a process that could take hours for pre-planned missions.

Now, the system works like a smart combat management system, said Lieutenant-Colonel Lim Swee Ann, likening it to the Grab ride-hailing app.

LTC Lim heads the Concept of Operations and Tactics Centre under the Unmanned Aerial Systems Warfare and Tactics Centre.

On the screen, triangles represent mission requests and aircraft icons show UAV locations. The algorithm recommends the best match based on UAV status, such as its remaining flying time, and mission priority.

Commanders can then approve the recommendation, and the plan is instantly transmitted to UAV pilots. This cuts mission planning time from hours to minutes, freeing up staff to focus on more complex operations.

The system can also respond to new, ad hoc mission requests, said LTC Lim. Command post battle staff can generate a new recommendation that reassigns UAVs to serve the prioritised requirement, while still balancing ongoing missions.

Acceptance rates for the system’s recommendations are high – up to 95 per cent for pre-planned missions and around 80 per cent for ad hoc requests.

“What used to take minutes to plan and coordinate now can happen within seconds,” LTC Lim said, referring to ad hoc requests.

“This not only creates capacity for our battle staff to manage more complex operations, but also streamlines processes across the war-fighting phase.”