The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) unveiled its new Urban
Operations (UO) training facility on 5 September 2008. It's known
as the Murai Urban Training Facility (MUTF) and will comprise some
200 buildings of various sorts when completed.
Here are the first shots of the sprawling training ground. The
urban landscape comprises four distinct areas:
* Old town - A confusing mix of low-rise developments, typically
found in a slum area.
* New town - Commercial and housing developments linked by a
road network. Includes drains, canals and street fences and street
lighting. There is also an overhead bridge and bus stops.
* Residential - Low and high rise housing.
* Industrial - Factory-type buildings.
There is also a Water Works.
Buildings are pre-fab and pre-cast concrete.
Air space over the facility has been cleared for use by fast
jets and helicopters. This will facilitate combined arms
manoeuvres, supported by ground attack runs by RSAF warplanes and
Apache attack helicopters.
Infrastructure explained. This is the view looking East. The
training area extends all the way to the edge of the frame of the
picture, with the two/three storey shop houses barely visible in
this view.
There are alot more buildings not featured in this view.
Not visible are 150 metres of tunnels under the town.
Street level view of the MUTF. The roads are left unpaved as
armoured vehicles will also use the training facility. Note the bus
stop.
MINDEF said:"Built to resemble a typical town, the MUTF offers a
range of realistic training scenarios, from small tactical
engagements to large-scale combined arms manoeuvres."
About 1,000 troops can use the facility.
The buildings are built with an indoor tracking system to
monitor troops as they enter the buildings.
The system tracks troops and vehicles in real-time, along with
tactical engagements and casualties. The ability to simulate behind
wall weapons effects should be a boon to UO training and small unit
warfare in built-up areas.
Commercial buildings come with the five foot way and shuttered
store fronts.
SAF Guardsmen after a rehearsal at the MUTF. All types of
weapons in an infantry battalion, direct and indirect fire
munitions, can be simulated in the training area.
