The Singapore Army has put into service a new combat bridging variant of its tracked Hunter armoured vehicle platform, called the Hunter Armoured Vehicle-Launched Bridge (HT-AVLB). The HT-AVLB is jointly designed by the army and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and produced by the local defence and engineering firm ST Engineering. The new combat bridging was first unveiled during the Singapore Army Combat Engineers’ 55th Anniversary and commissioned the same day. The HT-AVLB will replace the service’s ageing AMX-13SM-1 (Singapore Modernised 1 AMX-13 Light Tank) launched bridges.
The HT-AVLB is equipped with an all-round camera suite that provides high levels of situational awareness and enables the crew to fully manoeuvre and operate its bridging system under armour protection, thereby enhancing their survivability. The vehicle’s primary equipment is a telescopic knuckle boom crane that can be traversed through a full 360° and a recovery winch with a stated maximum pull of 25,500 kg. When performing a recovery or winching operation with heavy loads, the HRV deploys a front-mounted dozer-like blade as well as a pair of outriggers at its rear to stabilise itself.
The Hunter Armoured Fighting Vehicle (Hunter AFV) is a tracked Singaporean armoured fighting vehicle jointly developed by ST Engineering, Defence Science and Technology Agency, and the Singapore Army. Intended to replace the Singapore Army’s aging Ultra M113 armoured personnel carriers, it was commissioned in 2019. It is the Singapore Army’s and the world’s first fully digitalised platform, and is designed to provide armoured forces with enhanced capabilities to operate more effectively and efficiently in various phases of military operations. It was formerly known as ST Kinetics Next Generation Armoured Fighting Vehicle (NGAFV).
The HT-AVLB is networked with other Hunter vehicles. The Hunter AFV is equipped with the Army Tactical Engagement and Information System (ARTEMIS), a command and control system that allows the crew to operate the vehicle in a fully digitised environment and enabling the wireless exchange of information between vehicles and formations. The Hunter has an MTU 8V-199 TE20 720hp (530kW) turbocharged diesel engine, & an HMX3000 Hydro-mechanical infinitely variable transmission. It has InArm Hydro-pneumatic suspension provided by Hortsman of the UK, now a subsidiary of Renk AG. The baseline Hunter measures 6.9 m long and 3.4 m wide and has a combat weight of approximately 29 tonnes.
