NDP 2010: A MIGHTY SHOW

Check out three new highlights of this year's National Day Parade (NDP) as Singapore celebrates its 45th birthday!

Everybody looks forward to a fun birthday party. And none comes bigger and better than the one on 9 Aug when Singaporeans come together to celebrate 45 years of nation building.

A sea of red-and-white flags are set to be a-flutter all around the Padang at NDP 2010, aptly themed Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag. Singapore's very first NDP was hosted at the Padang in 1966, a year after the nation achieved independence. Even as the birthday bash returns to this historic venue where it all began, there are plenty of new elements to look out for in this year's parade.

1. Rumble through town

Do not be alarmed if you happen to catch eight "leopards" prowling through the urban jungle of the Central Business District (CBD) come 9 Aug.

These 55-tonne Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tanks will lead a pack of over 200 vehicles and hardware from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team as they roll past City Hall.

Featured only once every five years since 1990, the NDP mobile column this year has more than a third of the vehicles making their maiden appearance in this perennial crowd pleaser.

Besides the Leopard tanks, other new assets include the armoured Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle, the Trailblazer counter-mine vehicle, the M3G Military Float Bridge, as well as the Singapore Civil Defence Force's Firefly, a compact fire attack vehicle.

Leading the convoy is Mobile Column Commander Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Alfred Fox. He is responsible for ensuring that everyone knows what to do and for psyching the men up for the actual move-through.

"Even though it's going to take only 15 minutes for the entire column to drive past the President, in that time you're probably closer to the President than the marching contingents, so you will have a sense of the electric atmosphere that every participant feels when taking part in the parade," he said.

Forming an impressive 2km line-up, the mobile column segment comprises 11 waves representing various formations from the SAF and the Home Team. More than 900 active servicemen and Full-time National Servicemen from the SAF and the Home Team are taking part in this massive display of hardware.

With hundreds of vehicles and participants, it is no mean task getting the mobile column ready for weekend rehearsals. In fact, the process takes a good nine hours every Friday, as the vehicles are transported and assembled from camps all over Singapore to the National Stadium, where they are housed overnight at the large carparks available.

On Saturdays, two runs are conducted, one in the afternoon and the other in the early evening, before the vehicles move back to their holding area at the stadium.

By the time the troops and their vehicles return to their respective camps, it would usually be the wee hours of Sunday morning at three o'clock, said Staff Sergeant (SSG) Chandru s/o Gengan, a platoon sergeant from the 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, who will be taking to the streets as a Terrex vehicle commander.

Besides conducting their own internal rehearsals in camp, the different formations had been gathering at Tuas since May to work on their drills before heading down to the Padang for combined rehearsals in the final weeks.

Sacrificing weekends and putting in countless hours for training is nothing new for SSG Chandru, a four-time NDP participant. However, although he has been active in NDP all these years in various capacities, he still feels that same sense of pride during every parade.

'We're doing it for the nation, and having taken part in so many NDPs, I'm proud that I can share these positive experiences with my peers in the army and my friends outside," he said.

Singaporeans across the island can also catch a first-hand glimpse of the impressive mobile column display from as close as 3m away. After the ceremonial drive-past and presidential gun salute at the Padang, the mobile column will split into three convoys which will then make their way to the heartlands.

Covering a combined distance of 80km, the convoys will join the celebratory activities held at Sengkang, Eunos, Bishan, Woodlands and Chua Chu Kang.

2. Reach new heights

Two sleek fighter jets fly parallel to each other as they zip towards City Hall, wing tips 600m apart.
Narrowly cutting into each other's flight path, the planes perform a daring cross-over to switch positions. Spectators will see the two aircraft pass each other at close proximity before scaling the sky in a near vertical climb.

This "shackle" manoeuvre, which requires split-second precision and intense concentration, will be performed by the F-15SG, the latest addition to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

In another demonstration of its power and agility, the advanced fighter jet will carry out a "combat turn" - a small turn which is very useful in winning air-to-air combat - before exiting in a vertical spiral climb.

The traditional aerial presidential salute will include the F-15SG for the first time. After the state flag flypast by the CH-47 Chinook and AH-64D Apache helicopters, spectators will hear the roar of afterburners as three F-15SG fighters stage a fan-out manoeuvre, followed by five F-16s performing a "bomb burst" move complete with smoke trails.

Noting that each manoeuvre comes with its own set of challenges, Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) Kelvin Khong said: "For the 'shackle' manoeuvre, it will be very exciting because the two planes will be manoeuvring in close proximity to each other. For the 'combat turn', the pilot will be experiencing up to nine times the force of gravity during the manoeuvre."

2. Reach new heights

Two sleek fighter jets fly parallel to each other as they zip towards City Hall, wing tips 600m apart.
Narrowly cutting into each other's flight path, the planes perform a daring cross-over to switch positions. Spectators will see the two aircraft pass each other at close proximity before scaling the sky in a near vertical climb.

This "shackle" manoeuvre, which requires split-second precision and intense concentration, will be performed by the F-15SG, the latest addition to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

In another demonstration of its power and agility, the advanced fighter jet will carry out a "combat turn" - a small turn which is very useful in winning air-to-air combat - before exiting in a vertical spiral climb.

The traditional aerial presidential salute will include the F-15SG for the first time. After the state flag flypast by the CH-47 Chinook and AH-64D Apache helicopters, spectators will hear the roar of afterburners as three F-15SG fighters stage a fan-out manoeuvre, followed by five F-16s performing a "bomb burst" move complete with smoke trails.

Noting that each manoeuvre comes with its own set of challenges, Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) Kelvin Khong said: "For the 'shackle' manoeuvre, it will be very exciting because the two planes will be manoeuvring in close proximity to each other. For the 'combat turn', the pilot will be experiencing up to nine times the force of gravity during the manoeuvre."

3. Rock the stage

A stunning patch of green in the CBD area, the Padang is normally used as a venue for cricket or soccer matches. In the weekends leading up to National Day, however, it has been turned into a stage which hosts an extravaganza of military marches, music, dance and fireworks.

And for the first time in NDP history, the presidential drive-past this year will take place on the Padang itself. Spectators can expect to be as close as 8m away from President S R Nathan as he inspects the 30 marching contingents and greets spectators.

To provide a smooth and stable platform which can bear the weight of 3,100 parade participants and up to 10 floats weighing as much as five tonnes as well as the President's open-top vehicle, the field has been transformed into a concrete show arena.

In line with global efforts to go green, NDP organisers have used recycled materials - comprising 300,000kg of concrete from demolished buildings - to harden the 10,000 sq m Padang grounds. For previous parades at the Padang, steel sheets covered with canvases were laid over the performance area.

According to LTC Boo Chin Tuan, chairman of the NDP's infrastructure and decoration committee, this new and improved surface "will give us added stability to cater for heavy props such as floats weighing up to five tonnes each, and for the parade contingents to execute a more precise drill sequence."

The entire process took 10 days to complete and the performance area is now able to withstand up to one tonne per square metre. Tests were conducted beforehand to ensure that the underlying soil conditions will remain unchanged, and the grass will grow back within four to five weeks after removing the hardened layer. Said LTC Boo: "The Padang is a place that is deeply ingrained in the annals of our history books... For me, the Padang is a place that is synonymous with national pride."

On the big day at 8:10pm, 26,500 spectators at the Padang as well as the thousands gathered at the five heartland venues will reaffirm their commitment to Singapore, reciting the national pledge and singing the national anthem as one.

Cue the fireworks, and as you watch the showers of sparks light up the night sky, remember to "live our dreams, fly our flag".

Breaking new ground

Check out some of these other significant NDP "firsts" through the decades:

1968 Rain on National Day
1976 Parade held at the National Stadium
1978 Celebrations telecast in colour
1994 Parade shown on web-cast
2007 NDP held at Marina Bay Floating Platform