Armour is the formation of the
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...
responsible for
armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences), is the use of armoured fighting vehicle, armo ...
. It provides mobile firepower support and rapid mobility for the Army by helping to spearhead an advance past the enemy defences and seizing and holding key objectives on the battlefield. It has four active battalions—the 40th, 41st, 42nd and 48th Battalions, Singapore Armoured Regiment (SAR)—based in Keat Hong Camp and Sungei Gedong Camp, as well as an undisclosed number of
reservist
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is ...
battalions.
Armour acts as an active deterrent towards any possible aggressors as it is known to act swiftly, being able to be deployed at a moment of notice to dominate the battlefield, hence its motto "Swift and Decisive".
History
The Singapore Army's first armour unit, the 41st Singapore Armoured Battalion (41 SAB), was created in
Keat Hong Camp in November 1968. In 1969, the Army purchased
V-200 Commando vehicles and
AMX-13
The AMX-13 is a French light tank produced from 1952 to 1987. It served with the French Army, as the Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, and was exported to more than 26 other nations. Named after its initial weight of 13 tonnes, and featuring a tough and r ...
tanks, and equipped a newly formed armour unit, the 40th Battalion (40 SAB), with the AMX-13 tanks, while the V-200 Commando vehicles were shared between 41 SAB and 40 SAB. 40 SAB and 41 SAB had their first
mono-intakes in March and July 1970 respectively.
On 9 August 1969, 18 AMX-13 tanks from 40 SAB were showcased in a drive-past along St Andrew's Road during the
National Day Parade.
The Army has since organised armour column drive-pasts during the National Day Parades in 1978, 1982, 1984, 1993, 2002, 2010, 2015 and 2019. In 1987, the AMX-13 was upgraded to the AMX-13SM1, which had a diesel engine and upgraded track and suspension systems.
In July 1970, following the creation of the 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB), 41 SAB and 40 SAR were renamed 41 SAR and 40 SAR respectively. 42 SAR was formed on 1 October 1971 at
Selarang Camp when one
armoured infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force).
As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is disti ...
company from 41 SAR was transferred over to form 42 SAR's first company. In June 1972, 41 SAR took in another company from 41 SAR. 46 SAR was subsequently created in 1976. The School of Armour and Reserve Armour Training Centre (later renamed Armour Training Centre) were formed later.
In 1973, the Army acquired
M113A1 armoured personnel carriers to replace the V-200 Commando, and further upgraded the M113A1 to the
M113A2 Ultra IFV in 1993.
The Army also subsequently acquired the
Bv 206 combat service support tracked vehicle.
In July 1999, the Army started using the locally designed and produced
Bionix infantry fighting vehicles. In 2004, the Army introduced the
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
The Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier (ATTC) is a twin chassis multi-purpose tracked articulated vehicle jointly developed by ST Kinetics and the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) for the Singapore Army. The variant which was in s ...
to enhance combat service support functions in Armour.
On 6 September 1977, 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR received their regimental colours from President
Benjamin Henry Sheares
Benjamin Henry Sheares (12 August 1907 – 12 May 1981) was a Singaporean politician, physician and academic who served as the second president of Singapore from 1971 until his death in 1981.
Sheares retired in 1960 and was in private pract ...
at
Selarang Camp.
On 29 October 1991, 46 SAR received its regimental colours from President
Wee Kim Wee
Wee Kim Wee ( zh, s=黄金辉, poj=Ûiⁿ Kim-hui, p=Huáng Jīnhuī, first=s,poj,p; 4 November 1915 – 2 May 2005) was a Singaporean journalist and diplomat who served as the fourth president of Singapore from 1985 until his resignation in ...
.
48 SAR received its regimental colours from President
Tony Tan
Tony Tan Keng Yam (; born 7 February 1940) is a Singaporean former politician who served as the seventh president of Singapore between 2011 and 2017. He did not seek for a second term as president in 2017 due to a constitutional amendment. ...
on 1 July 2013 during the Singapore Armed Forces Day Parade.
In 2006, 42 SAR became the first Armour battalion to use the
battlefield management system A battlefield management system (BMS) is a system meant to integrate information acquisition and processing to enhance command and control of a military unit.
France
The French Army is using SICS (Système d'Information du Combat de SCORPION - SCO ...
in its armoured vehicles.
In December 2008, the Army phased out the AMX-13SM1 and replaced it with the newly acquired
Leopard 2A4
The Leopard 2 is a 3rd generation main battle tank originally developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s for the West German army. The tank first entered service in 1979 and succeeded the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West Germ ...
main battle tank
A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the role of armor-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more powerful engines, better suspension sys ...
, which was then further upgraded to the Leopard 2SG model.
Organisation
The Armour formation has four active
battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s. Three – 40 SAR, 41 SAR and 42 SAR – are
armoured infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force).
As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is disti ...
battalions, while the fourth, 48 SAR, is a tank battalion. In addition, there are a number of
reservist
A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military. Reservists usually go for training on an annual basis to refresh their skills. This person is ...
armour battalions distinguishable from the active battalions by their three-digit numbering (e.g. 442 SAR). These battalions are organised under HQ Armour or into one of four armoured
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
s - 4 SAB, 8 SAB, 54 SAB and 56 SAB - three of which are assigned to each of the Singapore Army's
combined arms
Combined arms is an approach to warfare
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme vio ...
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
s.
An armoured infantry battalion is typically made up of five
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
: one HQ company, three combat companies, and one support company. The HQ company comprises the various
combat service support
The term combat service support (or CSS) is utilized by numerous military organizations throughout the world to describe entities that provide direct and indirect sustainment services to the groups that engage (or are potentially to be engaged) ...
elements, while the combat companies have four platoons each. The support company contains the
mortar,
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
/
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
,
AGTM and
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
elements.
Training
The Armour Training Institute (ATI), located in
Sungei Gedong Camp, trains and evaluates all active and reservist Armour battalions. It is subdivided into five training centres as follows: the School of Armour (SOA), the Armoured Battle Group Training Centre (ABGTC), the Armour Combat Training Centre (ACTC), the Main Battle Tank Training Centre (MBTTC), and the Active Unit Training Centre (AUTC).
The ATI maintains a combat armoured infantry company comprising three platoons to role-play as enemies (known as OPFOR) against active and reservist units during evaluations. They simulate an enemy force through the use of the Battlefield Instrumentation (BFI) system introduced in 2006.
Overseas exercises
The Singapore Armed Forces collaborate with the armed forces of other countries to conduct overseas training exercises for Armour units.
Equipment
Armour units use a wide range of vehicles for armoured combat and engineering missions. The vehicles include locally developed armoured platforms such as the Bionix IFV, Hunter AFV and Bronco ATTC, as well as imported foreign platforms upgraded and/or adapted to suit local conditions.
References
External links
Main site
{{Singapore Armed Forces
Formations of the Singapore Army
Military units and formations established in 1968