SAF soldiers, new war machines earn their stripes in Shoalwater Bay

ROCKHAMPTON – Hunter gunner Benjamin Shenthil has trained for a year, but had yet to fire the armoured vehicle’s hallmark anti-tank guided missile – an explosive, rocket-propelled shell meant to lock on to and destroy heavily armoured targets.

On Sept 24, the full-time national serviceman (NSF) finally got his shot.

After patiently setting up on his target and then getting the command to fire, the 21-year-old unleashed the missile, which flew high into the air before hurtling back to earth, blowing up a target painted on the side of a hill in Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia. 

“In training, we had only practised firing the missile using a simulator,” said Corporal Shenthil. “Shooting it in real life is an adrenaline rush.”

The Hunter – an armoured but fast vehicle meant to operate alongside heavier tanks – is not able to fire the anti-tank guided missile in Singapore due to safety constraints.

The Singapore-developed personnel carrier replaces the army’s fleet of Ultra M113 armoured fighting vehicles that have been in service since the 1970s.

Two other military assets are participating in the annual Exercise Wallaby for the first time: a new helicopter – the H225M – and an upgraded ground-based air defence system known as the Spyder.

As replacements for older weaponry, the new machines are being field-validated by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in the vast Queensland expanse to integrate them into its forces.

Participating in Exercise Wallaby is crucial to this process, as the training area – about four times the size of Singapore – is one of the few places where the SAF can conduct the wide and complex manoeuvres needed to integrate new assets like the Hunter into its missions, said Colonel Wu Jianmin, commander of the exercise’s first leg.

The 2024 exercise

is set to be the SAF’s largest overseas, involving some 6,200 soldiers.

During an embed on Sept 23, The Straits Times saw Leopard tanks and Hunters move in tandem across an open field, leaving large dust clouds in their wake.

As targets popped up several hundred metres away, the Leopards began firing their large 120mm turret guns, while the Hunters fired their 30mm cannons. 

The live-firing came after several days of missions, where they moved alongside combat engineering vehicles to capture objectives and hold ground.

In such formations, the tanks provided a hard shell of protection, while the Hunters contributed supporting firepower and carried troops who could secure areas the vehicles could not access. The combat engineers bridged any terrain gaps they encountered.

Another refreshed platform, the H225M, chiefly serves the same purpose of lifting troops and vehicles in and out of combat zones as its predecessor, the AS332M Super Puma.

But while it has a comparable payload, the H225M has a 20 per cent longer range, as well as automatic stabilising systems which take some workload off its pilot.

At Wallaby, the new chopper flew missions alongside other helicopters like the Chinooks and Apaches, and also fired some of its weapons, including defensive flares and machine guns mounted on its sides.

In one mission, reporters watched as Staff Sergeant Rachel Rodrigues, 27, rained bursts of bullets down on targets while flying low over the training area.

The staff sergeant, who is undergoing qualification as a door gunner, said the process was thrilling. “It was very exciting to feel the vibrations from the gun, and to see the rounds hitting the target.” 

Another new air force asset that was put through its paces at the exercise was the Spyder – short for surface-to-air Python-5 and Derby. 

The mobile ground-based air defence system is able to convert from firing mode into what looks like a large truck, and carries a missile launcher meant to intercept enemy projectiles and aircraft. 

Battery commander Raymeo Kuah said this was the first time the Spyder was moving with elements from the Singapore Army.

“Bringing the Spyder out here enables us to provide enhanced air defence coverage to army assets (and) to understand each other better so we can fight as one,” he said.

Being at Shoalwater Bay put both troops and hardware through challenging and realistic conditions, soldiers told ST.

The terrain, for one, presented challenges such as tight bends, vegetation that had to be navigated around, and dust clouds that the vehicles kicked up, which resulted in a literal fog of war.

On Sept 24,

12 SAF servicemen were taken to hospital

after a Hunter rear-ended another while moving back to base.

SAF said they sustained “non-serious injuries”, and were

discharged and rejoined their unit

the next day.

A safety pause was called following the incident, with an emphasis on the need to maintain safety distance while driving in poor visibility.

Second-Lieutenant Lim Hung Yi, an NSF who commands Hunter vehicles, noted that the distances covered at Wallaby were much greater than back home.

“We also did live-firing alongside the tanks after manoeuvring large distances, which we have never done before, as we had only fired from more static positions previously,” he added.

Even before the accident, tight safety protocols for the overseas exercise had led to delays for CPL Shenthil’s missile live-firing.

But he was undeterred. Minutes after hitting his target, he said: “It was honestly a really great experience… It really gave me a lot more confidence, not only in myself but also in Singapore’s ability to defend itself.”