Singapore: Hunter armoured fighting vehicle commissioned.

The Singapore Army has commissioned its latest armored fighting vehicle (AFV) at the Armour formation's 50th-anniversary parade on Tuesday, June 11. Locally designed and developed by the Defence Science and Technology Agency with the Singapore Army and ST Engineering, the Hunter was unveiled in June 2016 and will progressively replace the army's fleet of Ultra M113 AFVs, which have been in service since the 1970s.

Hunter armored fighting vehicle (Picture source: Singapore MoD)

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen commissioned the Hunter at Sungei Gedong Camp. Chief Armour Officer, Brigadier-General Yew Chee Leung, 42, said the Hunter is the army's first fully-digitalised vehicle, incorporating smart digital technologies catered to modern-day soldiers. A digital steering system, called drive-by-wire, allows the vehicle commander to take over the driving function if needed. Its weapons can be controlled via a touchscreen interface. The Hunter is armed with a 30mm cannon, a 7.62mm machine gun, eight 76mm smoke grenade launchers, and two anti-tank guided missiles - the first time the missiles have been integrated into an armoured fighting vehicle.

Algorithms can be used for predictive maintenance, increasing the efficiency of vehicle maintenance and management. The Hunter crew can mobilise unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to gather reconnaissance and surveillance information remotely, with obvious advantages for stealth manoeuvres and its own protection.

BG Yew said that the formation will train a core group of regulars and instructors this year, before starting training for full-time national servicemen and rolling out the vehicle for the 42nd Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment next year.