RECOGNISING HOME-GROWN TALENTS IN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY

The introduction of the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) into the Army last year gave infantry soldiers much reason to cheer.

Far from being an ordinary off-the-rack battlefield troop carrier, the Terrex ICV came with new features such as a closed hatch driving system, all round surveillance, intra- and inter-vehicle networking systems and a first-of-its-kind remote control weapon system.

With such technical innovations that help to enhance protection and the combat and networked capabilities of soldiers, infantry troops have the team behind the Terrex ICV to thank.

Comprising personnel from the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), the Army and Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics, the team analysed the features on other armoured platforms such as the Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier, before improving on and adapting them for use on the Terrex ICV.

For their contributions towards the 3rd Generation transformation efforts of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the team received the Defence Technology Prize (DTP) Team (Engineering) Award on 29 Oct at the Biopolis Auditorium.

At the awards ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean, who presented the awards, said: "The Defence Technology Prize recognises defence scientists and engineers in our ecosystem whose work has had a great impact on the operational capabilities of the SAF. Through these awards, we hope to motivate and encourage our people to strive for greater technological innovations and excellence.

He also mentioned that research and development efforts are key to transforming the SAF into the 3rd Generation fighting force, and stressed that people form the core of the defence ecosystem.

"As our needs for indigenous technological solutions increase and become more sophisticated, we will increasingly work at the forefront of defence technology and must have our share of the best and brightest scientists and engineers," he said.

When asked why the need for the capability to be indigenous, Mr Sunil Sadanandan, who was part of the team behind the Terrex ICV, said: "Sometimes we have unique requirements that cannot be met by products that we get off the shelf, so we have to put on our thinking caps to find ways to develop products that meet our users' needs.

"It's not just about getting the best, but also getting what the user needs at a cost-effective price, so having an indigenous defence capability is always a plus."

Another innovation made possible by this capability is the Comprehensive Maritime Awareness (CMA) system, which was jointly developed by the Republic of Singapore Navy, DSTA, DSO National Laboratories and Singapore Technologies Electronics (Info Software Systems). This team also won the DTP Team (Engineering) Award.

The CMA system is an information-sharing and sense-making platform that combines the use of an Open and Analysed Shipping Information System and a Sense-Making, Analysis and Research Tool to enhance maritime awareness.

While the former is a repository of maritime information, the latter is an intelligent system that pieces information together. The CMA system is currently deployed at the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) at Changi Naval Base.

As a user of the CMA system, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Nicholas Lim, who heads the IFC, gave it a nine of out ten rating, explaining to cyberpioneer that the maritime situation has improved with the CMA system.

He said: "Through our trending and sharing of real-time information with our partners, we've not seen any maritime incidents in the South China Sea since 3 Sep, which is a very good sign."

Besides the team awards, individual awards were given out as well, and one such recipient was Mr Loh Heng Fong, Vice-President and Head of Tracked Mobility Centre in ST Kinetics. He received the DTP Individual (Engineering) Award.

He can be credited for his work on the SAF s armoured tracked capabilities, including the AMX-13, Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier and Trailblazer Mine-Clearing Vehicle.

When asked what motivates him to come up with new and better technologies each time, he said: "We must dare to dream and never say die. That kind of spirit will push us to keep going."

He added: "I'll definitely continue to contribute to the defence industry, and I hope I can be a good example to the younger engineers, and inspire them to join me to develop better products for the nation."

Five team and three individual awards were given out at the ceremony. The Radio Frequency Team from DSO was awarded the DTP Team Prize (R&D), while the Guided System Team and the G550-Airborne Early Warning Team received the DTP Team Prize (Engineering) Award.

The other individual DTP (R&D) awards went to Professor Pan Tso-Chien from the Nanyang Technological University and Ms Ngo Yuen Choo from DSO.