12 Singaporean Soldiers Injured as “Hunter” Armoured Vehicle Involved in Accident in Australia

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Twelve Singaporean soldiers were injured after a “Hunter” armoured vehicle they were in collided with another armoured vehicle during the Wallaby Exercise in Queensland, Australia.

According to a statement from Singapore’s Ministry of Defence, the accident occurred at 7:40 p.m. (Australian time) yesterday while the “Hunter” armoured vehicle was returning to the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

All injured personnel were transferred to a nearby hospital for treatment and are recovering, the statement said.

Wallaby Exercise is the largest annual overseas exercise participated by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

According to Australian media outlet 9News, the accident involved an Australian tank and a Singaporean armoured vehicle.

 The Australian Defence Force confirmed that assistance was provided to the Singaporean soldiers, and no Australian personnel were injured, 9News reported.

The injured Singaporean soldiers were airlifted by helicopter to Rockhampton Airport and then transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

Wallaby Exercise, which began in 1990, is held at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland.

This year’s exercise commenced on September 8 and will conclude on November 3, involving 6,200 military personnel, including 500 Singaporean reservists.

The “Hunter” armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a key asset of the Singaporean military, developed domestically by the Defence, Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) in collaboration with ST Kinetics, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, and the SAF.

Previously known as the Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV), the “Hunter” has been in development since 2006 and was commissioned into SAF service in 2019 after several prototypes.

 It replaces the M113 Ultra armoured vehicles, which have been in use by the Singaporean military since the 1970s.

The “Hunter” boasts enhanced mobility, survivability, armour, and situational awareness through the use of advanced digital systems, sensors, and sophisticated tracking technology.

Weighing 29 tons, the AFV “Hunter” can carry eight fully armed soldiers and is operated by a crew of three: a commander, gunner, and driver. It is a fully digital platform equipped with its own Battle Management System.

Its armaments include a 30mm “MK44 Bushmaster II” cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun, integrated into an Israeli-made remote-controlled weapon system (RCWS) “Samson” by Rafael.

The “Hunter” is also armed with two “Spike LR2” anti-tank missiles, enabling it to conduct tank hunter-killer operations.

With a powerful 800-horsepower engine, the “Hunter” has a top speed of 70km/h and an operational range of up to 500km.

Apart from the combat variant, the “Hunter” also has several other versions, including engineering, recovery, command, and bridge-laying vehicles. — DSA