New armoured vehicle will have precision-guided firepower
By David Boey
THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is looking to replace its ageing SM1 light tanks with a revolutionary new armoured fighting vehicle.
Instead of the conventional-looking tank with a gun in a revolving turret,
the new vehicle may have two guns or even none at all - armed instead with precision-guided missiles.
Lifting the veil for the first time on SAF's plans to build a new armoured fighting vehicle, Brigadier General Bernard Tan, Chief Armour Officer, said it would take 'three to five years' to develop test versions of a new armoured fighting vehicle once the conceptual ideas are agreed upon.
In an interview with The Straits Times before a parade yesterday marking SAF Armour's 35th anniversary, BG Tan said there's a 'furious debate' on what sort of armoured vehicle it needs.
The intensity of the debate is fuelled by different ideas SAF soldiers have on matters related to its design.
These include how much armour the vehicle should have, whether it should be armed with a gun, missiles or both, how much it should rely on computers and crew size.
The SAF's experience in the design of the vehicle is founded on the upgrades it had done of the AMX-13 light tank and the M-113 armoured personnel carrier, as well as projects that led to the production locally of the Bionix infantry fighting vehicle and a multi-purpose tracked vehicle called Bronco.
In outlining what the SAF's third generation (3G) armoured fighting vehicles could look like, BG Tan said: 'It is going to be packed with greater firepower - not necessarily direct fire weapons - but certainly the ability to call on precision fire, to be entirely wired up, highly mobile.'
Direct fire weapons such as tank guns need to be pointed straight at their target for a hit. Such weapons can destroy targets faster, but cannot hit targets behind obstructions like hills or buildings. They are unlike indirect fire weapons such as mortars and some types of missiles whose warheads are lobbed high over obstructions.
The vehicle used by 3G armoured forces promises to give soldiers a 'comprehensive awareness' of events unfolding on the battlefield as well as enemy intentions.
Also, precision-guided munitions, which now make up only a small proportion of SAF Armour's arsenal, would be the weapon of choice in the future, over the present-day unguided or dumb munitions.This means the new vehicle may carry less ammunition.
'That's because you've got a greater hit probability, which means your dumb round requirements start to go down,' said BG Tan, who is also Commander of 25th Division.
In turn, the general firepower requirement would likely go down, probably leading to trimmer, lighter, more mobile and protected forces rather than larger, heavier ones.
'Now, this is a big turn in the development of armoured vehicles,' he added.
These armoured units may also include unmanned robots to monitor the battlefield or to destroy enemy units.
The development of the 3G arsenal will eventually make the current SM1 light tank redundant. For now, it remains a mainstay of the SAF armoured units and is still effective because of the various improvements done on it.
Made in France in the late 1940s as the AMX-13, the 18-tonne tank has been upgraded locally with, among other things, a better fire control system and more lethal ammunition.
The 3G arsenal with the new armoured vehicle can quicken the pace of battle by three to four times.
BG Tan said: 'At the end of the day, you cannot wait for the last man to die or surrender before you go in to take a position. At some stage, you've got to engage him in close battle.
'Armour is the arm of decision. When you employ this force at the decisive point, it tilts the battle totally.'
Upgraded locally and to be replaced eventually, the SM1 tank makes an appearance at SAF Armour's 35th anniversary parade. -- ONG CHIN KAI
--ST
125mm main gun and dual 30mms?.