[Defending the Lion City] ST Kinetics wins US$121.5 million US Marine Corps contract (Terrex)

The Terrex

TODAY, PUBLISHED: 3:45 PM, MARCH 21, 2016


SINGAPORE – Local defence company ST Kinetics has been awarded a US$121.5 million contract to supply 13 amphibious combat vehicle prototypes, known as Terrex 2, to the United States Marine Corps. Together with US-partner Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), it was awarded the contract over objections from a competitor that had a cheaper proposal.

According to a statement from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on March 15, General Dynamics Land Systems had challenged the Marine Corps’ evaluation in not awarding the tender to the lower-rated, lower-priced proposal by General Dynamics. The GAO concluded that the Marine Corps’ evaluation of the General Dynamics proposal was reasonable and consistent with the evaluation scheme identified in the solicitation.

It added: “GAO also concluded that the decision to select SAIC’s higher-rated, but higher-priced proposal was within the agency’s discretion when conducting a best value procurement.”

According to the GAO, this is the first phase of a two-step procurement for the development of the Marine Corps’ amphibious combat vehicle. The total value of the contract with all options exercised is approximately US$1.2 billion, it said.

ST Kinetics and SAIC will now move into the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development phase of the programme, known as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Phase 1, Increment 1, said an ST Engineering press statement on March 17. ST Engineering is the parent company of ST Kinetics.

The Terrex 2 is an 8x8 wheeled armoured amphibious combat vehicle that can transport a combat load of up to 11 soldiers, and three crew members. In water, it has a hydraulically driven propulsion systems with full independent thrust control authority that allows it to operate even through six-feet high plunging surf.

“The selection of the Terrex 2 is a testament to the proven strengths of the Terrex family as a lethal and highly survivable 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicle platform,” said ST Kinetics president Ravinder Singh in the statement. “What we have now achieved in Terrex 2 is a testimony to the maturity of our defence engineering expertise, allowing us to compete against established global defence companies.”

A version of the Terrex, the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle, is used by the Singapore Armed Forces. It has seven variants including command, trooper, pioneer and medical versions. The team behind the Terrex won the Defence Technology Prize in 2010 awarded by Singapore’s Military of Defence.

Source: TODAY

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Related news:

GAO Denies General Dynamics' Amphibious Combat Vehicle Protest

Terrex II – Super Vehicle with Survivability Upgrade

[Defending the Lion City] US eyes Singapore-made troop carrier

The Terrex is being used by the Singapore Armed Forces to provide foot soldiers with added cover and speed in the battlefield. PHOTO: ST KINETICS

By Jermyn Chow, Nov 26, 2015, 5:00 am SGT, ST

The Singapore-made Terrex 2 armoured infantry carrier has been shortlisted by the United States Marine Corps as the war machine that could be ferrying the elite troops to war zones as soon as 2020.

If chosen, the eight-wheeled amphibious vehicle will replace the ageing and lumbering troop carriers that the marines have been using since the 1970s.

2 SIR in an urban operations exercise with the Terrex personnel carrier at the Murai Urban Training Facility

Today, the Terrex is being used by the Singapore Armed Forces to provide foot soldiers with added cover and speed in the battlefield. It also gives them invaluable near real-time updates of enemy and friendly troop positions.

Clinching the Marine Corps deal, worth some US$1.5 billion (S$2.1 billion), will be the biggest coup for Singapore Technologies (ST) Kinetics, which designed and built the Terrex 2.

The defence contractor also sold more than 100 Warthog - also known as the Bronco - armoured personnel carriers to the British military in 2008 for $330 million.

A ‘Warthog’ Fighting Vehicle is pictured on patrol in the Loy Mandah District of Afghanistan, during an operation to clear out an insurgent hotspot. - ThinkDefence.co.uk

ST Kinetics' rival in the two-year- long evaluation is British defence manufacturer BAE Systems.
The Pentagon on Tuesday said each firm will have to build 16 vehicles to be delivered from January till 2017 for field tests, with the eventual winner producing more than 200 vehicles by 2020.

For this project, ST Kinetics is teaming up with US defence firm Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). The Fortune 500 scientific, engineering and technology company, based in Virginia, will be in charge of wiring up the Terrex's weapons systems, among other things.

The driver's console features increased digitisation, with two touch screen consoles facilitating speedy access to information and settings on the vehicle's health, driving configuration, and other critical functions. Instead of physical gauges located out of the driver's immediate visibility, dashboard information is overlaid on the LCD display immediately underneath the viewports to improve usability and driving safety. (ST Kinetics)

The Singapore-US consortium beat three other rivals, including industry heavyweight Lockheed Martin, to get this far.

Mr Jon Grevatt, Asia-Pacific defence industry analyst at military publication IHS Jane's, said it was an achievement for ST Kinetics to emerge as a serious contender for a major US military contract, adding: "Singapore's defence technology community is moving in the right direction and Singapore's continual investments in indigenous capabilities are paying off."

He noted that many countries, faced with shrinking defence budgets, want to get bang for their buck with customised, rather than off-the-shelf, capabilities.

"ST Kinetics knows it cannot just export now. It's about joining hands with foreign companies with local know-how to accurately meet the market's demand."



Sources: 

Straits Times
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/us-eyes-spore-troop-carrier?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#xtor=CS1-10

Read more about the Terrex 2 here:

IHS Jane's 360 - ST Kinetics unveils next-generation Terrex 2 amphibious armoured vehicle

http://www.janes.com/article/54107/st-kinetics-unveils-next-generation-terrex-2-amphibious-armoured-vehicle

FoxtrotAlpha - One Of These Will Be The Next U.S. Marines  Amphibious Combat Vehicle
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/one-of-these-will-be-the-next-u-s-marines-amphibious-1746202361

[Defending the Lion City] Pegasus, Singapore's Light Weight Howitzer

Mr Teo with the Pegasus Singapore Light Weight Howitzer, which he called the “most challenging” project in his career due to its unique operational requirements-being sufficiently light weight to be heli-portable, yet maintaining the firepower of heavier guns.

Ng Eng Hen

via Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ngenghen/photos/a.652163061543623.1073741856.650377555055507/913748688718391/?type=3&theater

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So what is this Pegasus thing?

Here's what Wikipedia says about it.

"The Singapore Light Weight Howitzer (SLWH) Pegasus is a helicopter-transportable, towed artillery piece. Developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Kinetics, it was commissioned on 28 October 2005.^[1] The Pegasus has replaced the GIAT LG1 105 mm howitzer previously in service with the Singapore Artillery.

The 155 mm, 39-caliber Pegasus is typically towed, but it is also equipped with an independent Lombardini 9LD625-2 engine unit to provide short-range self-propelled capability of up to 12 km/h (7 mph). It can be lifted by the Republic of Singapore Air Force's CH-47SD "Chinook" helicopter thus making it the first heli-portable self-propelled 155 mm howitzer.^[2] In addition, the Pegasus can also be transported by the C-130 Hercules tactical airlifter. 

The Pegasus has a burst rate of fire of three rounds in 24 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of four rounds per minute. It can deliver conventional munitions up to 19 km. Extended range munitions can be fired up to 30 km away. A semi-automatic loading system is provided to increase the rate of fire and reduce crew fatigue. 

The design of the Pegasus also incorporates several innovative elements. It is built with titanium alloy and aluminium alloy materials that are lightweight and yet able to withstand the recoil force of the 155 mm artillery system. Special recoil management design is also employed to reduce the recoil force to a third lower than conventional 155 mm howitzers. "

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLWH_Pegasus

And the most impressive aspect about this artillery weapon is not the fact that it is the world's first heli-portable 155mm artillery gun but it is an artillery gun that has been fully developed and built in Singapore.

Heli-lift operations in action

The gun in self-propelled mode

Deploying the gun

Ready for firing

[Defending the Lion City] RSN's Unmanned Naval vessels

Technology today is rapidly advancing in robotics, maneuvering, autonomous navigation, communications and data links. Our Navy will be integrating more and more unmanned technology as part of the Navy of the future. Embracing such technological advancements make our Navy Smarter, Sharper and Stronger.

The Venus 16 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) is one of the unmanned systems currently being tested to support our maritime security operations. Designed and built locally by Singapore Technologies Electronics, the Venus 16 USV can be configured into various roles such as the conduct of patrols as part of our Navy’s layered coastal defence, or to support mine countermeasure in conducting underwater scans of the seabed, while significantly improving manpower efficiency and reducing the exposure to risk for our sailors.

Source: 
RSN Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/singaporenavy/photos/a.511009102296613.1073741826.501718186559038/1017241115006740/?type=3