I'm disturbed.Singapore is not content on being the economic superpower in this region.
These days it has ventured into defense systems, building some rather formidable weaponry and even making a foray into the international market.
It's not unexpected after all, for even Israel being a tiny little country in the middle of nowhere is famous for its Mossad and Uzis.
This new baby is under the wing of Singapore Technologies (no surprise there) Kinetics. Now I've heard of ST Aerospace, but not ST Kinetics. My bad.
So this ST Kinetics has come up with this Low Velocity Air-Burst Munition System (LV ABMS), comprising a fire control system (FCS) and the high explosive (HE) air bursting munition (ABM).
The damn thing has a laser rangefinder with a maximum range of 500m (or on option 800m).
It's fitted with an advanced programmable time based fuze that is not armed until it is 14 to 28m from the weapon and enables the projectile to be detonated above the target for maximum effect.
Spiffy.
So is it the only one in the market then? No.
But what is of interest, is that Singapore is developing its capabilities while we Malaysians are merely obtaining contracts to manufacture.
They are broadening their horizons while it comes to technology. We're still arguing about which bumiputra should get his share of "special rights".
They are building lighthouses on our rocks. We're losing the entire rock because of flimsy evidence and lousy counsel.
Expect much more from Singapore in the near future.
Or better still - beware of them.
7 comments:
Wow, I did not know this:).
Since I am neither a Singaporean nor a Malaysian, I am a bit laid back about all this, but I can see where you are coming from!
Hello cranky,
Well, the SAR-21 has been around since 2000, I think .Now becoming the standardised assault rifle for its army. The bullets Calibre 5.56x 45mm NATO standard makes it compatible with Singapore’s massive storage depots, (the SR-88 and M16 magazines type). By the way, the company (formally known as CIS, charter industries of Singapore) have been designing and manufacturing assault rifle during the 80s.
However, comparing bullpups, Israel’s TAR-21 is far better and battle proven. But end of the day, it does not matter how sophisticated one‘s military is if it can’t adapt, utilized and execute strategically thinking in a short and long term circumstances.
Ciao
P.s Check out the XM-29 OICW, to be more disturbed in your dreams. And when was the last time you balance your crankshaft... I mean your car... :)
:) at Damyanti.
Anon. Yes, you have a point - strategy is so much more important than availability of armament and weaponry.
We have a couple of Scorpene subs. Does anyone know how to operate them?
I regularly service my car, so the crankshaft is in good shape, thanks for asking. :)
Hello cranky,
About the subs, training Malaysian sailors are included in the ‘cursed’ contract. However, in my opinion, the money could be spent elsewhere in beefing up certain areas of the military, instead of wasting it on brand new diesel-electric submarines (2). Radar/sonar technology compare to propulsion technology tends to follow a type of Moore’s law pattern that will eventually create problems for this class of subs. Malaysia will never be a blue-water or brown navy. Getting a Dolphin class sub is much better, think about the research that can be done on one submarine. Besides, the navies of Singapore (extremely good) and Indonesia have more experience in operating a sub.
Ciao
P.s I am not putting down Malaysia military capabilities, facts is facts, I suppose. We do have our strength in Jungle/guerrilla warfare. Sophisticated technology including satellite infra tracking does not work that well in Malaysian jungles at all. The Malaysian Army have in the past/present trained American Special Forces in Jungle warfare in our very own jungles. The Rainforest in Malaysia are 100 times more challenging than the South American rainforest.
Glad to know that your crankshaft is in a good shape....By the way, I have to disabuse an erroneous perception (made by a certain obasan :)..) that I am married with 3 kid’s .please! Come on ...The numbers is all wrong. Besides, there is no equilibrium in marriage. The simple Truth is I am single with psychological disturbed pets. :)
LOL. Of course, training would have been part of the contract! Each submarine is unique when it comes to handling and operation and thus would definitely require some introduction on how to operate it.
But we're talking about the Malaysian Navy. The sailors do ships and boats, not submarines. They don't have the experience. And we're talking very shallow waters off our coast. It's not easy to maneuver.
Those submarines weren't brand new by the way. The French sold them to us second hand.
P.S. I do believe the British SAS trained in our Malaysian jungles as well.
Hello cranky,
Well let explain clearly on what I meant by ‘included in the contract’. The contract is a bit different from other military contracts; the Malaysian contract puts more emphasis on training more than say technology transfer or modification/future. I believe the Malaysian sailors have done extensive training for a couple of years on a second- hand sub of the previous model of the sco sub (part of the contract).Actually ,the fundamental of running a subs is quite constant to its Class unless if it is a Nuclear sub, of course.
Cranky, like I said, Malaysia will never be a blue-water or Brown navy. It could have become a Brown navy status if the government does not interfere with military structure in the past and present with its narrow selfish minded policies. Remember the first admiral of Malaysia, what a loss to be forced to retire early at that age.
“But we're talking about the Malaysian Navy. The sailors do ships and boats, not submarines. They don't have the experience. And we're talking very shallow waters off our coast. It's not easy to maneuver.”
Oh don’t worry about that, somehow I believe the subs will be lurking at a certain place :) .And please, do have faith :) the unthinkable is quite scary.....
Ciao
P.s Are you sure both are second hand?
Yes, I am quite aware of the SAS jungle training in Malaysia, those egocentric -high -on hubris got lost in the Borneo jungles for more than a week, bravo! Overrated. I have a deep respect and fear for Sayerot.
You must be referring to the "Quessant"?
No, I don't know much about the first admiral of Malaysia. And I haven't been keeping up with my issues of Tempur and Perajurit.
Lurking at a certain place? You mean East Malaysia?
I keep hearing differing reports on brand new and second hand. Maybe you're right. Anyway, from the price we're paying, it had better be a spanking new sub.
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