Singapore Armoured Regiment

The Singapore Army's first armoured unit, 40 Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (SAR) (then known as 40 Singapore Armoured Battalion (SAB)), was formed in November 1968. In that year, the Army decided to purchase the V-200 Commando vehicles and AMX-13 tanks. 41 SAB was formed to operate AMX-13 tanks in 1969 and was the first armour unit to be equipped with the tanks.[3] The V-200 Commando vehicles were shared between 40 and 41 SAB.[4]

That same year, 40 SAB thrilled the crowd at the Singapore National Day Parade in a drive-past of 18 tanks to salute the President of Singapore.[5] HQ Armour has since organised armour column drive-pasts during the National Day Parades of 1978, 1982, 1984, 1993, 2002 & 2010. Additionally, during every National Day Parade, men of the formation are given the honour of the Presidential Lance Guards who will form up upon the President's arrival and departure. They carry lances with a pennon that features the insignia of the Armour formation attached beneath the spearhead. This tradition is modelled after the knights of old, who would form up to protect their king.

The AMX-13 which was acquired back in 1969 was upgraded to the AMX-13 SM1 in 1988.[6]

In July 1970, with the creation of 4 SAB, 40 & 41 were re-flagged as 40 SAR & 41 SAR respectively. Two further armoured units were created: 42 SAR in 1971 & 46 SAR in 1976. With the inception of full-time national service in 1967, 40 SAR received her first mono intake in March 1970 while 41 SAR received hers in July 1970.

In 1973, the formation acquired the M113 to replace the V-200 Commando, which was further upgraded to the M113A2 Ultra IFV in 1993 to keep up with the modern age.[1]

The Regimental Colours of 40, 41 and 42 SAR were presented by President Benjamin Sheares at Selarang Camp on 6 September 1977. 46 SAR's Regimental Colours were presented to them on 29 October 1991.[7] 48 SAR's Regimental Colours was presented by President Tony Tan on 1 July 2013 at that year's SAF day parade.

In 2006, it was announced that the AMX-13 SM1 Tanks would be replaced with Germany's Leopard 2A4 Main Battle Tanks.[8]

The formation also adopted the Black Beret as its official headdress, which is recognised traditionally as a symbol of an armoured unit.

In the Singapore Armed Forces Best Unit Competition, only 5 Armour units have won the title of Best Combat Unit: 41 SAR (1978 & 1984), 42 SAR (1979 & 1982) & 40 SAR (2002).

There are currently 3 armoured infantry battalions in its operational structure: 40 SAR, 41 SAR & 42 SAR.

There is another additional tank battalion, 48 SAR. There are also a number of NS Reserve battalions that are activated during reservist recalls. NS SAR units are numbered in three-digit formats (i.e. 442 SAR) to distinguish them from active units.

An armoured infantry battalion is made up of 5 companies: HQ coy, 3 combat coys and a support coy.

• The HQ company encompasses the battalion's Intelligence Branch, Manpower Branch, Training & Operation Branch, Logistics Branch, Signal Branch, Quartermaster Branch, Motor Transport, Tracked Vehicle Maintenance Branch and Medical Platoon.
• The combat companies are made up of three platoons and a company HQ platoon
• The Support Company encompasses the following elements: Mortar, Pioneer/Engineer, ATGM and Reconnaissance.

While on operation, each combat team will be attached with a vehicle maintenance and Pioneer section. The ATGM & Mortar elements can be attached to either combat company at their commanders direction depending on mission profiles.

Armoured Infantry (A.I.) battalions share similar traits with their regular infantry counterparts. However, each section of an A.I. platoon has their own individual armoured tracked platform and A.I. platoons carry more firepower when dismounted as compared to regular infantry platoons. A.I platoons also specialise in conducting water-body crossing with their armoured platforms by flotation devices.

During training or operations, external units, such as the Combat Engineers' Armoured vehicle-launched bridge and mine clearance vehicles or the Artillery's self-propelled howitzers, can be attached to the armour battalions as needed. When required by the nature of operations, heavy tanks can also be attached to the A.I. battalions.

Brigades

• HQ 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade
  • Motto: Terror On Tracks
  • Sungei Gedong Camp
• HQ 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade
  • Motto: Valiant Thrust
  • Keat Hong Camp, under HQ 3 DIV
• HQ 54th Singapore Armoured Brigade
  • Motto: We Spearhead
  • Kranji Camp II, under HQ 6 DIV
• HQ 56th Singapore Armoured Brigade
  • Motto: Bold and Decisive
  • Selarang Camp, under HQ 9 DIV

Battalions[9]

• 40th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (under 8 SAB, 3 DIV)
  • Motto: Victory Unto Victory
  • Yellow Frills on its Battalion's Regimental Color with the number '40' on the top left corner
  • Keat Hong Camp
• 41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (under 8 SAB, under 3 DIV)
  • Motto: Pressure Forward
  • Red Frills on its Battalion's Regimental Colors with the number '41' on the top left corner
  • Keat Hong Camp
• 42nd Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment
  • Motto: The Cutting Edge
  • Green Frills on its Battalion's Regimental Colors with the number '42' on the top left corner
  • Sungei Gedong Camp
• 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (non-divisional unit)
  • Motto: Rapid Dominance
  • Yellow Border on Black Shield with the number '48' on the top right corner
  • Sungei Gedong Camp

• Keat Hong Camp - 40 SAR, 41 SAR, 8 SAB
• Sungei Gedong Camp - HQ Armour, 4 SAB, 42 SAR, 48 SAR, ATI

The Armour Creed details the motto of the Armour "Swift and Decisive" and the roles Armour plays within the Army.

We are Armour,

Swift and Decisive,
We are the Masters of Manoeuvre
We Dislocate And Defeat The Enemy with Speed,
Precision and Firepower.

We Are The Decisive Force Of Our Army,
We wear our Black Berets with Pride,
Forging Man and Machine as One.

We Are One Family,
Forever Strong In Spirit.

Once Armour!

Always Armour!

Units within the Regiment use a wide range of vehicles, supporting its scope of armoured combat and engineering missions. This includes locally developed armoured platforms such as the Bionix IFV, Hunter AFV and Bronco ATTC, as well as procured overseas equipment upgraded to fit local operation context.[10][11]

Vehicle	Image	Type	Quantity	Origin	Notes	Ref
Tanks
Leopard 2SG		Main battle tank	204+[12][13]	Germany	Upgraded with AMAP composite armour by IBD & ST Kinetics. Includes 30 spare tanks, excludes 19 Bergepanzer-3 Büffel ARVs.[10]	[14]
Armoured vehicle
Hunter AFV		Infantry fighting vehicle	3	Singapore	Production and operational model revealed in June 2019. More on order to replace M113 APC.
Bionix II		Infantry fighting vehicle	300[15]	Singapore	Variants include Bionix 40/50, Bionix 25.	[16]
M113A2 Ultra IFV + M113A2 Ultra OWS		Armoured personnel carrier	720[15]	USA  Singapore	Originally an M113A1, upgraded to A2 standard. Also used by the RSAF as SHORAD system.	[14]
Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier		Amphibious armoured vehicle	400[15]	Singapore		[16]
Bandvagn 206		Armoured all-terrain carrier	300[15]	Sweden	Artillery versions mounted with ARTHUR (radar). Most units have been retired. Some retired units transferred to the Singapore Civil Defence Force for jungle firefighting operations as a Tracked Firefighting Vehicle (TFV).	[16]
Engineering vehicles
Pionierpanzer AEV3 Kodiak		Armoured combat engineering vehicle	unknown	Germany	AEV based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis.
Bergepanzer Büffel		Armoured recovery vehicle	20	Germany	ARV based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis.
Panzerschnellbrücke Leguan		Armoured vehicle-launched bridge	10	Germany	AVLB based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis.	[14]
Bionix Trailblazer		Armoured combat engineering vehicle	unknown	Singapore
Bionix ARV		Armoured combat engineering vehicle	unknown	Singapore
Bionix BLB		Armoured vehicle-launched bridge	unknown	Singapore
FV180 Tractor		Armoured combat engineering vehicle	36	UK	Phased out.	[14]
M60 AVLB		Armoured vehicle-launched bridge	12	USA		[14]
M728		Armoured combat engineering vehicle	8	USA	Phased out.	[14]
SM1 AVLB		Armoured vehicle-launched bridge	unknown	France Singapore	Phased out.

There are two main combat vocations within Armour: Tank Operator and Armoured Infantry. Each personnel's vocation varies depending on which unit he is posted to. Tank operators will be trained to maintain and fire the tank, while armoured infanteers will be trained in basic infantry and armoured warfare tactics.

The Armour formation's main training institute is called the Armour Training Institute (ATI), in Sungei Gedong Camp, which trains and evaluates all active and NS Armour units.[17]

The four schools under ATI are:

• School of Armour (SOA)
  • Motto: Lead By Example
  • Conducts Armour Leadership courses for both the Officer and Specialist cadets in their respective vocations in the formation.
• Armoured Battle Group Training Centre (ABGTC)
  • Conducts Armour Battle Groups Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP)
• Armour Combat Training Centre (ACTC)
  • Qualification centre for all Armour platforms and weapon systems courses
• Combat Team Training Centre (CTTC)
  • Training and evaluation for Combat Teams and Main Battle Tank Company level and below

ATI maintains a combat armoured infantry company containing three platoons to play the role of aggressors, otherwise known as OPFOR, against active and reserve units during ATEC evaluation. Their role is to simulate a real enemy force through the use of the battlefield instrumentation (BFI) system.[18]

The formation conducts numerous overseas training exercises for its armour units to practice due to lack of manoeuvre area in Singapore.

• Exercise Wallaby (Australia)
  • An annual military exercise conducted at Shoalwater Bay towards the end of the year. Armour units can conduct either live firing drills with other militaries or their own ATEC evaluations or play the role of an armour aggressor unit. Officer and Specialist cadets on training can also be sent on exercise as part of their training program.[19]
• Exercise Matilda (Australia)
  • A combined company/squadron level non-reciprocal sub-unit exercise conducted in the Mount Bundey Training Area between 48 SAR and the 1st Armoured Regiment to enhance tactical skills and inter-operability between both forces.[20]
• Exercise Bold Kurukshetra (India)
  • An exercise where an armoured infantry combat company from an active battalion and other support elements are sent to India for a military exchange with armoured units from the Indian Army.[21]
• Exercise Panzer Strike (Germany)
  • An exercise held in Bergen, Germany, where the heavy tank battalion, 48 SAR, as well as Officer and Specialist Cadets from the School of Armour hone their gunnery and driving skills at the Bundeswehr's Bergen-Hohne Training Area, which allows them to fire on the move and practice platoon movements. 48 SAR also conducts bilateral live-firing exercises with the German Army.[1]

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