SINGAPORE – Twelve Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen were taken to a hospital in Australia on Sept 24, following an accident during a military exercise there.
Singapore’s Defence Ministry said in a statement late on Sept 24 that a Hunter Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) rear-ended another at about 7.40pm (local time) while moving back to base at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. The training area is located in Queensland.
“Twelve SAF servicemen sustained non-serious injuries, and they have been transported to the hospital. They are currently being treated or recovering well,” the ministry said.
“The safety and well-being of our people is of paramount importance. The Army has called for a safety pause to remind drivers to maintain proper distance.”
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman told Australian media outlet The Courier-Mail that it was alerted to the accident at 8.30pm (local time) and the injured were airlifted to Rockhampton Airport and transported to Rockhampton Base Hospital.
About 6,200 personnel are participating in the Exercise Wallaby from Sept 8 to Nov 3.
The exercise is SAF’s largest ever unilateral overseas exercise in the country, with the Hunter AFV taking part in the exercise for the first time.
Unveiled in 2019, the Hunter AFV has a crew of three – the vehicle commander, gunner and the driver – and can carry eight other soldiers. It was locally designed and developed by the Defence Science and Technology Agency with the Singapore Army and ST Engineering.
It is the replacement for the Singapore Army’s fleet of Ultra M113 armoured fighting vehicles.