Exercise Thunder Warrior 2017 marks 20 years of live firing exercises in Waiouru and strong friendship between the New Zealand military and the SAF. The fierce icy wind rushes over the mounds of the Waiouru Military Training Area, bending the metre-high grass at its whim. The hills appear to be breathing. But they truly come alive when the Primus Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzers (SSPHs) begin to fire and the chorus of terrifying booms echoes across the rolling expanse. It is a sound that has evolved and endured over two decades – 20 years of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducting Exercise Thunder Warrior in New Zealand. Since 1997, the Singapore Artillery has held its annual battalion live-firing exercise in Waiouru. The hilly region has been visited by platforms such as the Singapore Light Weight Howitzer Pegasus and the Artillery Hunting Radar Weapon Locating Radar, as well as tens of thousands of SAF servicemen. This year, the exercise marked its 20th anniversary with the participation of the SSPHs and more than 500 gunners. These included national servicemen from 24th and 289th Battalions, Singapore Artillery (24 SA and 289 SA respectively).
