SEAMLESS INTEGRATION AT ITS FINEST

Imagine a whole range of sensor and shooter assets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon Aircraft, AH 64D Apache Attack Helicopters, Searcher Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), STrike ObserveRs Mission (STORM) and Commando Lasing Teams working in unison in order to secure a swift and decisive victory over enemy assets.

Sounds impressive? This is the scenario that will be played out at the finale of this year's Exercise Forging Sabre.

Held from 1 to 24 Nov, Exercise Forging Sabre 2009 boasts a wider range of assets deployed as compared to its predecessor in 2005, making it the biggest and most complex live firing and air-land integrated strike exercise to date.

Exercise Director Brigadier-General (BG) Tan Chuan Jin said that exercises like Forging Sabre are important in building up the capabilities of the 3rd Generation SAF because they allow for the Army and Air Force to work together and hone their communication skills.

"The SAF has been building up its capabilities constantly through various air-land integrated exercises such as Lightning Warrior 2008 and Wallaby 2008. Through these, the SAF will learn to manage different elements in a more dynamic nature. Such exercises are also important because they help in coordination, keeping in mind that ground and air personnel have different perspectives in any operation," said BG Tan.

The latest addition to the 3rd Generation SAF's family of shooters is the HIMARS. Able to engage targets from a distance of 70 kilometres away and requiring less than 20 seconds to prepare for firing, the HIMARS provides a rapid rate of fire that greatly enhances the SAF's firepower during integrated strike missions. In addition to these features, the HIMARS possesses good mobility.

SAF HIMARS Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lek Seng Khoon told cyberpioneer that the HIMARS's many sophisticated characteristics make it an ideal addition to the 3rd Generation SAF.

"The HIMARS can travel up to a speed of 94 kilometres an hour, making it extremely mobile. It is also responsive, precise and possesses long-range capabilities, which help to provide greater precision fire. These top-of-the-line abilities enable the HIMARS to fit perfectly into the arsenal of the 3rd Generation SAF," said LTC Lek.

Battery Sergeant Major Second Warrant Officer (2WO) Chee Shean Yew, whose key role is to conduct on-the-ground surveillance for the HIMARS team, said that mastering the operating system was not difficult.

"Our SAF soldiers are technologically savvy. Coupled with the easy-to-use interface and excellent training provided for by our US counterparts, we found no problems in mastering the system," said 2WO Chee.

2WO Chee added that the training in June and August at Fort Sill and Dallas respectively, as well as a two-week exchange programme with the US National Guards, aided them greatly in their bid to master the system.

"Our training here with the US soldiers has been a beneficial experience. This is the first time we are operating the HIMARS and the practical session helps immensely in validating what we have learnt so far," said 2WO Chee.

Likewise, the US soldiers training with the SAF on the HIMARS were impressed with the SAF servicemen's professionalism and skills. US HIMARS Launcher Chief Staff Sergeant (SSG) Charles Mckinney said that the SAF soldiers had undergone the same training as the Oklahoma guardsmen and "performed remarkably well".

"We have worked with other foreign parties before but are especially impressed with the SAF soldiers. There was no hand holding involved when we were sharing our experiences about the HIMARS. It was evident that the SAF came prepared and was equipped with skills and knowledge beyond the basic level," said SSG Mckinney.

The HIMARS is one of the many shooter assets participating in this year's Exercise Forging Sabre. However, no strike operation with numerous sensor and shooter assets can achieve success without proper coordination.

Enter the Division Strike Centre (DSC), which serves as the nerve centre for co-coordinating a tight network of all the sensor and shooter assets participating in the strike operation.

The DSC aims to execute accurate and responsive strike operations by planning, coordinating and delivering fires onto multiple targets using the various assets available in the operation. As such, the DSC determines the timing and location of the strike as well as the type of assets most suited for destroying enemy targets.

Head of Operations Headquarters LTC Nicholas Seow said that the DSC communicates with the Air-Land Tactical Control Centre (ALTaCC) to ensure a tighter sensor-to-shooter loop during the execution of integrated strike missions.

"The ALTaCC is a sensor that collects information for the DSC to enable the latter to better determine a suitable course of action to eliminate threats. The DSC also interacts with other sensor elements such as the Commando Lasing and STORM teams which collate data and serve as eyes on the ground," said LTC Seow.

Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Lim Sin Soon, who is in charge of the technical operations at the DSC said that accurate and efficient information is required to maximise the potential performance of the sensors and shooters in the operation.

"A constant challenge for the DSC is to ensure efficient and accurate communication between our air and land assets. For example, a F16 fighter jet would have a different set of communication and voice procedures from that of the HIMARS. The DSC always has to remain alert to ensure that instructions are delivered in an accurate and timely manner to the different set of assets in the operation," said MWO Lim.

All preparations and coordination will culminate in an integrated live firing on 17 Nov (US time) to be witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean.