ARMY OPEN HOUSE 2004 - WHERE THE ACTION IS!
The Singapore Army proudly opens its doors to the public once again for the Army Open House 2004 (AOH 04) on 4 to 6 Sep 04 at SAFTI Military Institute. This morning, Minister for Defence, RADM(NS) Teo Chee Hean officiated at the AOH 04 Opening Ceremony. Subsequently, he toured AOH 04 with members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs (GPC-DFA) and the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence(ACCORD).
2. At AOH 04, RADM(NS) Teo officially launched the MATADOR, a new man-portable disposable anti-armour weapon system which was developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), in collaboration with Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND). The MATADOR, the first of its kind to be developed in the world, has both anti-armour and anti-brickwall capabilities that is suitable for operations in confined spaces. With its enhanced penetration capabilities, it is capable of defeating most known Armoured Personnel Carrier and Light Tanks in the world. The MATADOR is a crucial step forward in the Army’s journey to transform itself into a 3rd generation fighting force and will greatly enhance the firepower of the Infantry soldiers.
3. AOH 04 is an event that will give Singaporeans the opportunity to know our Army better and have fun at the same time. SAFTI Military Institute will take on a carnival atmosphere, with crowd-pleasing activities and exhibits such as military displays, interactive activities, military rides and vibrant entertainment. Keeping in line with the AOH 04 event tagline, “Our Army - Where The Action Is”, this year’s AOH is bigger, better and more exciting than before. On top of the traditional crowd pleasers like the military equipment display, rides and shows, four new segments have been introduced this year, namely: (1) The Live Firing Safari, (2) The Main Street Parade, (3) The 3G Transformation Exhibition and (4) The Army Experience Exhibition. Another new highlight of AOH 04 is the extension of the opening hours to 9.00pm at night. Thus, visitors to the AOH will have the unique experience of viewing the exhibits, shows and live firing at night.
4. Over 150 grassroots leaders and 3 Members of Parliament will be visiting AOH 04 on 5 Sep 04. Hosted by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and Environment and Water Resources, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, the visit aims to foster better understanding of our Army’s capabilities and journey towards transforming into a 3rd Generation fighting force.
Date: 4 to 6 September 04
Time: 4 & 5 Sep - 10.00am till 9.00pm
6 Sep – 10.00am to 6.00pm
Venue: SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI) at Upper Jurong Road
Free Admission
Limited parking lots are available at Jurong Camp (beside SAFTI MI). A free shuttle service will run from Jurong East interchange to SAFTI MI from 9.45am daily. Visitors can also take bus 182 or 193 and alight outside SAFTI MI.
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2. The MATADOR, which is among the lightest in its class, has both anti-armour and anti-brickwall capabilities that is suitable for operations in confined spaces. With its enhanced penetration capabilities, it is capable of defeating most known Armoured Personnel Carrier and Light Tanks in the world. The dual-capability warhead, when acting in the delay mode, creates an opening larger than 450mm diameter in a double brickwall and offers a non-conventional entry point for the soldier when fighting in built-up areas. The increased range of the MATADOR over the current ARMBRUST allows the soldier to engage targets beyond small arms effective range and therefore increasing the survivability of our soldiers.
3. The MATADOR’s innovative propulsion system results in a highly accurate weapon system whose projectile is insensitive to wind. Combined with ergonomic features and a high precision optical sight, the MATADOR can be fired from a small confined space to enhance our operational capabilities in both conventional and urban operations
4. In the development of the weapon, our soldiers’ feedback during ergonomics trials and many other useful features found in the ARMBRUST were incorporated in the design of the MATADOR.
5. The longer front grip handle prevents the soldier from misplacing his finger in front of the muzzle during firing, thereby eliminating the risk of injury. It also allows the soldier to rest the weapon on the ground, thus improving accuracy when maintaining a firing position. The foldable pistol grips allow the soldiers to lock the weapon, preventing accidental firing.
6. Field trials were conducted to tailor the position of the optical sight to the SAF soldiers. The chosen sight magnification provides the soldiers with good field of view to allow for more precise strike on target. The MATADOR is equipped with Picatinny rail for mounting night vision device for night operations. Improvements have also been made to the sighting system to enhance target acquisition.
7. The countermass counteracts the recoil of the weapon upon firing. In addition, the positioning of the countermass takes into consideration the centre of gravity of the weapon to ensure good balance for greater accuracy. A wider soft rubber sling replaced the conventional hard, slim canvas sling to reduce the stress on the soldier’s shoulder due to prolonged slinging. The new sling also comes with a quick-release buckle to allow rapid switch from sling to firing position.
8. Furthermore, the carriage of the weapon has been made more comfortable with better padding, a feature useful for long route marches. As a whole, these easy-to-use features will help our soldiers achieve proficiency in using the weapon within the shortest possible time.
9. The MATADOR is a crucial step forward in the Army’s journey to transform itself into a 3rd generation fighting force and will greatly enhance the firepower of the Infantry Formation. The Army will gain the added capability to fight in built-up areas. With the improvements to make the weapon user-friendly, our soldiers will find the weapon easy to operate and will spend less training time to achieve proficiency.
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Calibre 90 mm Weight of weapon 8.9 kg Weight of projectile 2.6 kg Length of weapon 1m |
Muzzle velocity: 250 m/s Flight time to 300m: 1.2 s Temperature range: -40°C to +63°C Effective range: 500 m Firing from confined space >15m3 Warhead Capability: HEAT or HESH mode |
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