Singapore releases Next Generation AFV as the successor of M113. M113 is still popularly used to quell pro ISIS militants in the southern Philippines, while for Indonesia, the M113 is a new weapon system introduced since 2 years ago, and is currently the mainstay of the Infantry Battalion of the Army (Yonif). But the difference between the story with Singapore, the country instead plans to replace M113, which in the military circles of Singapore known as ULTRA M113. It may seem a bit arrogant, but Singapore believes that the M113 that has been operating since the 70s has qualified for retirement. And for its successor, the Singapore Ministry of Defense started in 2006 to design a new version of combat vehicles, and of course a stronger and more sophisticated national manufacturer.
Without many calculations and false promises, around mid-2016 ago, Singapore Technologies Engineering sudauh issued a prototype of a combat vehicle known as the Next Generation AFV (Armored Fighting Vehicle). And after going through various testing processes, finally on March 22, 2017, Kemhan Singapore officially signed the production contract of Next Generation AFV, where the first wave of shipments for the Singapore Army will be implemented in 2019.
In addition to the M113 which Singapore says it's time to retire, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is currently not lacking combat vehicles with AFV and IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) capabilities. In the case of IFV now Singapore has Kinetics Bionix II Manufacturing ST (Singapore Technologies). This wheel-drive vehicle carrying a 30 mm long Bushmaster II cannon. The canon is mounted in a dome connected to a 7.62 mm caliber coaxial machine gun. This vehicle is capable of carrying up to 7 personnel, For APC variants, can be charged up to 9 personnel infantry. AD Singapore uses 200 units of Bionix II, in addition there is also Bionix 25 which operates as many as 200 units as well.
In addition to AFV / IFV, Singapore still has Panzer variant, AV81 Terrex 8 × 8, the most advanced armor in all of Southeast Asia. Variants range from the basic variant of APC (Armored Personnel Carrier), a variant of a 120 mm mortar carrier, a recovery variant to aid repair, medical variants, IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) variants, ATGM (Anti Tank Guided Missile) variants, and Varian Engineer to support units Combat fighter. From there, the variants of IFV and ATGM are the main weapons of wheeled support vehicles. The IFV variant has a dome with the RMS 600-RCWS system (Remote Control Weapon System) using the Bushmaster II 30 mm MK44 cannon.
Predicted that its military power by 2019, the AFV / IFV aspect in Singapore will focus on Bionix II, AV81 Terrex and Next Generation AFV. Then what are the advantages of NG-AFV? Judging from its design, this combat vehicle is seen using the concept of armored vehicles connected with the integrated data network (Network Centric Warfare), so ready to face combat in the future.
In terms of protection, NG AFV apparently uses the exact same armor used on the Leopard 2SG MBT (Main Battle Tank), which refers to the standard STANAG 4569 level 4 and can counter the load of 12.7 to 14.5 mm caliber projectiles. At the bottom is also used protection from the mine explosion. In terms of weaponry, the variant of the Bushmaster II cannon adaptation is 30 mm caliber autocannon, plus 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun. Kanonnya almost the same as in Bionix II, complete with range range laser and thermal camera.
Centric Warfare Network and Battlefield Management System are the hallmarks of NG AFV. For example, to control RCWS canons, ranpur operators can see situational awareness through cameras capable of 360-degree monitoring. Not only that, ranpur driver can also monitor the situation outside the vehicle through the camera (180 degrees). The use of the camera for the driver is placed on the front (above the machine). Viasualization camera driver as well as commander, runs in realtime and can be viewed through command post via secomm and satellite networks.
In the case of a propulsion engine, the NG AFV uses a Caterpillar-made diesel engine. This engine power reaches 700 hp, power weight ratio 24.5 hp / ton and ranpur can glide with a maximum speed of 70 km per hour. With a strong enough protection, it affects the weight of NG AFV that reached 29 tons. While the BMF-3F amphibious runpur weight is only 18 tons. In terms of size, NG-AFV is also larger than Bionix II. The AFV NG dimension reaches 6.9 x 3.28 x 3.2 meters, while the Bionix II is only 5.9 x 2.7 x 2.6 meters.
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