NETWORKED FOR MOTORISED INFANTRY OPERATIONS
PHOTO // Timothy Sim & Desmond Wong
With the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV), Battlefield Management System (BMS) and Advanced Combat Man System (ACMS), the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has become a better networked and motorised force.
The enemy has captured a critical piece of terrain along with a cluster of buildings, and embedded themselves within. Although they had been bombarded with artillery fire earlier, significant pockets of resistance have survived. The remaining forces have taken up positions at critical points.
Without any warning, troop carriers move in and within seconds, infantry soldiers pour out of them.
The troops move with lethal precision. Though silent, they seem to be in constant communication. Systematically, the enemy positions are overrun. Before the enemy has a chance to regroup and recover, they hear the approach of aircraft and tanks. Hit hard by the new support fire elements, the enemy forces are defeated in a matter of minutes.
In a nutshell, this is how the 3rd Generation SAF will defeat enemies at a higher tempo, and with better situational awareness.
The troop carriers are none other than the Terrex ICV. Purpose-built as part of the Army's efforts to motorise its forces, enhance protection, mobility and connectivity, the 24-tonne Terrex ICV is the SAF's latest acquisition.
"In a fast-paced military environment, soldiers have decreased situational awareness, poor intelligence on the enemies' movement and location, among other things. In particular, they are vulnerable to ambushes," explained Colonel Lim Hock Yu, Commander 9th Division and Chief Infantry Officer.
The BMS-enabled Terrex ICV increases the situational awareness of infantry troops by connecting with the ACMS worn by soldiers to provide constant updates on enemy locations. With an up-to-date picture of the operating environment and key battlefield information provided by the BMS, soldiers can call for, and coordinate support from, air and land forces and deliver precision fire.
In addition, the Terrex ICV can hunt for the enemy. Its Weapon Detection System determines the location of enemy fire by computing sound data gathered by an array of microphones on the vehicle. This information is then shared with other friendly forces via the BMS network.
All this translates to SAF soldiers on the ground being connected to the full range of firepower within the SAF's arsenal.
The SAF plans to start training all active infantry and guards battalions to operate from the Terrex ICV from February 2010.
(Click to enlarge)
