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Rethinking urban warfare tech: How this industrial engineer is developing smarter munitions for the SAF
Be it leading transformation in munitions research or mentoring NSFs and NSmen, this SAF Engineering scholar is proving that defence careers can be as much about people as they are about tech
Military Expert 4 Lincoln Too (right) receiving the induction certificate from Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan A. Daniels for completing a 16-week Ordnance Basic Officer Leader Course in 2024, held at the US Army Ordnance School in Virginia.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LINCOLN TOO
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From the standard 5.56mm cartridge every soldier carries to advanced guided missiles, Military Expert 4 (ME4) Lincoln Too understands the destructive power of munitions – better than most.
The 26-year-old Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Engineering scholar
His job? Making munitions smarter and safer for the modern battlefield.
“Many modern conflicts take place in urban environments,” he says. “That means collateral damage is a real concern.”
The staff officer and his team conduct research into next-generation munitions that balance lethality with safety – especially in tight, built-up combat zones.
Take for instance soldiers firing weapons in close quarters. If a round misses or overpenetrates a target, it could ricochet and hit friendly forces or civilians.
An example of how this was previously overcome involved the use of 5.56mm variant “frangible” rounds. These rounds disintegrate on impact with hard surfaces and, when used in training, have little effect on modern body armour, he explains.
Finding that ideal balance between lethality and safety continues to be an evolving challenge, says ME4 Too.
New frontiers in urban warfare tech
To address such challenges, he and his team lead are working closely with ground units across various operating environments.
Their goal: to conduct experiments, gather insights and further customise munitions based on operational feedback. As the army’s Ops-Tech integrator, SAFAC goes beyond mere support, working alongside users to integrate operational requirements with technical capabilities.
This is a fairly new development in the SAFAC, says ME4 Too. Traditionally, the formation is focused on managing the logistics of the munitions supply chain.
During the course, ME4 Too had the opportunity to apply what he had learnt by conducting briefings in operational settings, such as during logistics planning exercises.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LINCOLN TOO
But in line with the greater SAF 2040 vision, SAFAC has begun expanding its scope into munitions engineering and developing customised solutions for end users to address different operational contexts.
For instance, if units share that certain rounds produce too much recoil or that they are carrying too many types of ammunition, SAFAC steps in with both operational understanding and technical expertise, says ME4 Too.
He adds: “We support them through customisation, such as adjusting the propellant to calibrate the recoil for stability, or by innovating and designing munitions such as multi-purpose rounds to increase operational flexibility.”
One such example was the customisation of 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds for the SAF Shooting Contingent to be used in the annual Asean Armies Rifle Meet.
Standard rounds are configured for 300m combat range, but competitive shooting often takes place at 100m. By adjusting the propellant type, weight and projectile design, SAFAC engineers were able to decrease recoil – leading to improved accuracy of up to 50 per cent. The engineers are expanding this capability for operational use.
ME4 Too (far left) with his fellow officer trainees during the course, where he graduated with an Honour Graduate Award for his outstanding performance.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LINCOLN TOO
Other ongoing projects include modelling and simulating explosive effects in urban environments, as well as exploring the use of advance manufacturing to enhance the performance of rounds.
As an industrial engineer by training, ME4 Too sees this as the ideal space to apply his training from university.
“This sort of work has never been done before by SAFAC,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity to do data analysis and collection that will better serve operational users across the SAF.”
Finding purpose, making a difference
While the opportunity to work with data drew him to SAFAC, what convinced ME4 Too to take up the SAF Engineering Scholarship
Initially torn between a career in the SAF and one as a mathematics teacher, his time during Basic Military Training changed his perspective.
He learnt that the SAF would give him a chance to meet people from all walks of life.
“I also felt that I could learn a lot by understanding the bigger picture of safeguarding Singapore’s defence,” he says. “So what started as curiosity about the SAF led to a complete shift in my career aspirations.”
ME4 Too also went on to attend a four-month Ordnance Basic Officer Leader Course at the US Army Ordnance School in Virginia, the US equivalent of Singapore’s Officer Cadet School.
While he may not be helping students solve math problems, ME4 Too now helps the full-time National Servicemen (NSF) under his charge in different ways, such as career counselling.
One of his NSFs confided in him about his dream to study chemistry overseas but was afraid of leaving his family behind. ME4 Too encouraged him to apply, sharing how he was positively impacted by his own overseas experience at the University of California, Berkeley.
The serviceman did – and was accepted into Imperial College London.
“Personally, it was a very simple thing, but seeing how your actions can shape someone’s life trajectory is really quite impactful,” ME4 Too says.
In that same vein, his current role also involves managing a team of NSmen under the Expertise Deployment Scheme – a programme that matches an NSman’s professional skills to the SAF’s operational needs.
At the Our Army Women’s Career Fair in 2024, ME4 Too joined fellow servicemen and women at the SAF Ammunition Command booth to support outreach efforts.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LINCOLN TOO
Collectively known as the Expertise Deployment Team, these NSmen have specialist knowledge in areas like 3D printing and robotic process automation. When they return for In-Camp Training (ICT), they are assigned to projects that will best leverage their existing skills, often contributing to SAFAC’s digitalisation and process improvements.
Not only can they positively contribute towards the growth of the SAF, but it also makes their time in ICT feel more meaningful too, ME4 Too says.
“That’s why I’m an industrial engineer,” he says. “I’m always asking myself, how can I streamline things to improve people’s lives?”
This people-first mindset extends to his long-term ambitions. Though he enjoys the technical challenges of his current role, he hopes his next posting will allow him to shape human resource or policy initiatives.
“In an office like policy development, not only do you get a better understanding of people’s pain points, but you can also make actual changes to influence a lot of people at once.”
One area he is especially passionate about: expanding opportunities for servicemen to upskill, such as through part-time study sponsorships.
He says: “People need room to develop their expertise, especially if they’re engineers.”
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, it’s about recognising that people do this job,” he adds, quoting one of his mentors. “They sacrifice so much of their personal lives to support the country, that the least we can do is make sure they are recognised and taken care of.”
