According to information published by "The Singapore Army" Facebook account, during the Exercise Panzer Strike that was held in Germany, the army of Singapore conducted the first live firing of Spike anti-tank missile mounted on the new Hunter tracked armored IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle).
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Singapore army conducts first live firing of Spike anti-tank missile mounted on new Hunter tracked armored IFV during Exercise Panzer Strike in Germany. (Picture source Singapore MoD)
Following the resumption of overseas training and exercises, soldiers from the 24/22 Armour Specialist Course of the Singapore Army participated in Exercise Panzer Strike (XPS) from 31 August to 19 September in Oberlausitz Military Training Area (OMTA), Germany. Using the Hunter tracked armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV), which was commissioned in 2019, the soldiers carried out the Hunter IFV's very first live firing of Spike anti-tank guided missile in an overseas training exercise.
This year's Exercise Panzer Strike is conducted over two training windows in spring and autumn. The spring frame of the exercise involves over 280 personnel from 48 SAR and the Armor Training Institute, as well as 14 Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tanks (MBT). The servicemen and women from 48 SAR had undergone a series of maneuver live-firing with the Leopard 2SG MBT and a live-firing exercise with their German Army counterparts from Panzer grenadier battalion 122 and Panzer battalion 104.
Singapore and Germany interact regularly through high-level visits and dialogues, military exchanges, cross-attendance of professional courses, and technological collaboration. These interactions have reinforced the professional ties between the two defense establishments, strengthened with the signing of the enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2018.
The Hunter is a new generation of IFV based on tracked armored chassis developed by Singapore’s Defense, Science and Technology Agency in collaboration with ST Engineering and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
The Hunter has a crew of three including a driver, and a gunner, and can accommodate up to eight infantrymen. It features an integrated combat cockpit enabling the gunner and commander to operate the vehicle using common controls. It comes equipped with a health and utilization monitoring system (HUMS), which is a fully-digitalized platform using data analytics and algorithms to ensure timely maintenance and efficient vehicle management. The Hunter’s drive-by-wire design, which controls its movements electronically instead of through rods and pistons attached to the driver’s pedals, allowing the vehicle commander to drive when required.
The Hunter IFV is fitted with the Samson 30 Integrated Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) armed with one Orbital ATK 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II automatic cannon and one coaxial 7.62mm machine gun. The RCWS is configured with an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) launcher Spike that is retractable under armored protection and smoke grenade launchers on either side of the gun mantlet.
