slickshifters 2nd Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 Source: The Straits Times ONE of the army's elite weapons, which is able to fire guided missiles and roar up steep hillsides, now comes with touchscreen monitors, text messaging, and an automatic gearbox. The made-in-Singapore Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) Mark II, a more powerful and high-tech version of its ageing predecessor, was specially designed with the teenage full-time national serviceman in mind. The idea was to allow them to master it with ease by "mimicking lifestyle devices" such as smartphones and the WhatsApp messaging app, said Lieutenant-Colonel Chua Chay, head of capability development at HQ Guards yesterday. He was speaking in Queensland, Australia, where the LSV Mk II is being put through its paces in the ongoing Exercise Wallaby, the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) largest overseas exercise. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen officially commissioned the vehicle, which is the size of an sport utility vehicle, during his visit on Tuesday. It can be primed with either the anti-tank Spike guided missile system or an automatic grenade launcher, to take down hostile armour units. It also boasts a general-purpose machine gun. The onboard touchscreen battlefield management system allows crew to pinpoint enemy locations easily on digital maps. They can communicate more stealthily with base using a text messaging system instead of speaking through a radio system. The automatic gearbox also means that young soldiers do not have to grapple with a manual transmission as in the original LSV, which came into service in 1998. Dr Ng observed during Tuesday's live-firing demonstration how the LSV Mk II could be operated by NSFs as young as 19, with one of them firing a Spike missile at a target 4km away, hitting the bulls-eye the first time. Impressed, he noted afterwards that the NSF was only in his first year of training. Another 19-year-old, Lance Corporal Elia Lim Shawn Jae, a guardsman from the 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade who started training on it only five months ago, also participated in the live-firing as a vehicle commander. "It's very obvious that it's specifically designed for us," he said, though pointing out that the ease of use does not remove the need for NSFs to build "more experience" operating it. The SAF has been transforming learning for younger, technology savvy soldiers by employing modern-day gadgetry such as iPads, virtual game-based simulators and apps. The LSV Mk II, designed and built by Singapore Technologies Kinetics, has a top speed of 110kmh and can tackle rough terrain and climb slopes with an incline as steep as 45 degrees. It can carry up a crew of up to six, double that of the original LSV designed in the United States. It also has a more powerful engine and improved suspension, ensuring a less bone-rattling ride even as it tears across bumpy ground. The SAF will be procuring more than 100 of them over the next two years, while gradually phasing out the older version. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothiewabbit Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 Yeah, it offers no protection at all from enemy fire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 also got no protection from the sun and the rain! i just hate driving a convertible with it roof opened in sunny singapore. so hot siak! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nodtviedt 2nd Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 Yeah, it offers no protection at all from enemy fire I think it was designed perfectly for our new generation. The idea was not to face up to the enemy but to attack them behind a screen from a comfortable distance, then disappear. If you ever get close, there is a GPMG mounted to give them covering fire while making a getaway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldbug 6th Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 follow too much of the US Army rapid deployment concept liao... Humvee too thinly amoured, become RPG7 magnet... and now this... with the proliferation of RPG7s, should adopt the IDF concept in puting the APC in a tank, like the Merkava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throttle2 Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 KNN, just add some here and there, even a lousy jeep can also be called an elite vehicle.....wow.....SAF boleh! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 KNN, just add some here and there, even a lousy jeep can also be called an elite vehicle.....wow.....SAF boleh! How can u say like that? Our SAF scholars came out with idea! and they are always involved with Wargames...the PC kind! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 That picture dun do justice lah. haha.... I found a better pic... It looks more like scaffolding on wheels but can be quite lethal with all those weapons. Like some of you mentioned, without armour it's pretty pointless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotamp 3rd Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 knn..enemy uses air burst ammunition all can up lorry leow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evillusion Supersonic November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 knn..enemy uses air burst ammunition all can up lorry leow actually they are on a lorry! somewhat! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vega Turbocharged November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 this is a scout vehicle. not to fight with tanks or APC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotamp 3rd Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 this is a scout vehicle. not to fight with tanks or APC. enemy see scout vehicle, they will close one eye and let it pass? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcf777 Turbocharged November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 That missle behind the driver seat is at least 12kg. During road march, must carry two missles Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vega Turbocharged November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 enemy see scout vehicle, they will close one eye and let it pass? obvious you know little how scout vehicle works. its meant to be light, move fast in tough terrain. so you can't just add heavy armour like a tank to such vehicle to impede its movement. this is not build to head on with a tank. got it? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myxilplix Turbocharged November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 High tech lah. Can shoot missile lah. Elite weapon lah. Just make sure the soldiers don't sing Purple Light when driving it to kill enemies, okay? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldbug 6th Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 obvious you know little how scout vehicle works. its meant to be light, move fast in tough terrain. so you can't just add heavy armour like a tank to such vehicle to impede its movement. this is not build to head on with a tank. got it? shoot and scoot works, if the OPFOR does not have the capability to pursue the recon/scout element if kenna the advance guard of the OPFOR and they have the means to engage and pursue the recon/scout element is dead meat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maseratigood 5th Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 (edited) also got no protection from the sun and the rain! i just hate driving a convertible with it roof opened in sunny singapore. so hot siak! to compensate our suffering from the hot sun, we need bikinis girls as our passengers!!! btw, if they can make civilian versions of these war machines, plus add shields / covers against the sun and rains, there may be a market for such macho, go-anywhere, vehicles!! the Humvees are actually based on the military versions but made more civilised... High tech lah. Can shoot missile lah. Elite weapon lah. Just make sure the soldiers don't sing Purple Light when driving it to kill enemies, okay? so what if the driver and his passenger on this veh sing Purple Light? what veh can the AWARE troop use to chase these soilders singing the song? in their BMWs or Mercs in the wilderness? That picture dun do justice lah. haha.... I found a better pic... It looks more like scaffolding on wheels but can be quite lethal with all those weapons. Like some of you mentioned, without armour it's pretty pointless. Drive one of these on roads in Tuas or West Coast Highway, all the bullying trucks/pickups will siam one side!! Edited November 22, 2013 by Maseratigood Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotamp 3rd Gear November 22, 2013 Share November 22, 2013 shoot and scoot works, if the OPFOR does not have the capability to pursue the recon/scout element if kenna the advance guard of the OPFOR and they have the means to engage and pursue the recon/scout element is dead meat At least some can see the bigger picture here , I am not from scout but I sure like to see how they can run when spotted by unit 84mm . ↡ Advertisement 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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