First of
SAF's new tanks here
NEW heavyweight is in town. The first of 66 German Leopard 2A4
tanks has arrived here to be put through its paces before being
inducted into the army's arsenal.
The main battle tank, spotted by The Straits Times close to the
Safti live firing area last week, is here for 'local
familiarisation trials', the Ministry of Defence said this
week.
Mindef announced in December last year that it planned to buy 66
refurbished Leopard 2A4s and push them into service around the
middle of next year.
They will replace some of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) SM1
light tanks, which are more than 40 years old.
The Leopard, about three times heavier than the SM1, packs a mighty
punch.
It tips the scale at 55 tonnes, but is powerful enough to roar down
highways at 72kmh and gun down targets 3km away.
Its main weapon is the German Rheinmetall L44 120mm gun, which also
arms tanks fielded by countries such as Australia and the United
States.
About 3,000 of these battlefield heavyweights are now in service in
about 12 countries.
When they enter service here, the Leopard 2A4s will be fitted with
a new battlefield management system that will allow tank crews to
exchange information with other SAF units to hunt and destroy enemy
forces highlighted on a digital map.
The German Leopard 2A4 tanks (above) will replace some of the
Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) SM1 light tanks, which are more than
40 years old. -- KENNETH YEO
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