SAF LAUNCHES NEW SIMULATORS FOR ARMOUR TRAINING

All of the Singapore Army's tank crew can now practise driving their armoured vehicles across rough terrains under enemy fire - without posing any danger to themselves.

This was made possible by the Singapore Armed Forces' latest driving simulator, which was designed for all armoured vehicles in the Army.

The Armour Driving Simulator (ADS) can support training for the Leopard 2SG Tank, Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier, and Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

In contrast, the old simulator could only be used for training Leopard 2SG drivers.

Another new system is the Armour Gunnery and Manoeuvre Simulator (AGMS), which allows the crew to conduct large-scale tactical combat training as a company. The previous simulator could only support training for up to a platoon.

These new simulators are housed in the Armour Simulation Centre at Sungei Gedong Camp, which was opened by 2nd Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung on 1 Dec.

Colonel Alan Yeo, Commander of Armour Training Institute, said the simulators were a useful and cost effective way to complement their live training. "It allows our soldiers and units to better hone their competencies before we deploy them in the field."

Greater realism

The ADS replicates the interior of an armoured vehicle, with the same steering wheel, seat and other components. It even rolls and jerks like the real vehicle on rough terrain.

This realistic simulation has helped to boost the confidence of new drivers like Private Xerxes Lim, who used to be nervous when driving up and down a row of hills that are close to each other.

Said the 20-year-old Bionix driver: "When you get to the top of the hill, you can only see the sky. Then you suddenly feel like you are falling. That's when you have to control the vehicle.

"This is why the simulator is good - when I drove the real Bionix, I was more confident."

Similar to the ADS, the AGMS is a complete mock-up of the real armoured vehicle. Soldiers can see from within the "vehicle", pick out enemies, as well as aim and fire.

Battle scenes, shown on a 360-degree wide angle screen, are modelled using real terrain data. Soldiers can also fight under simulated enemy fire, and in bad weather like rain, fog and haze.

Lieutenant Arkaprabha Banerjee, an instructor in the Armour Simulation Centre, said: "The simulator exposes trainees to lots of things that they could encounter in the battlefield, which they might not be able to fully train for out in the field."

Lance Corporal Loh Fook Lee, a Bionix gunner from the 41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment, appreciated the extra practice on the simulator.

"All the switches and shooting parts are the same. Training in the simulator before our mission or live firing helps us to build up our confidence," said the 20-year-old.