Five-hundred Singaporean soldiers have taken over Waiouru Army Base for an annual training exercise dubbed “Thunder Warrior” in New Zealand.
The tiny Southeast Asian nation has brought over its sophisticated weaponry, which it can’t use back at home because it simply doesn’t have the space.
That was reported by newshub.co.nz.
One such weapon is Singapore’s self-propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus. It can fire six rounds per minute and hit targets 30 kilometers away.
The Singapore Self Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus is a 155mm, 39 calibre tracked howitzer operated by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
Primus uses the modified armoured hull of the proven United Defence (now BAE Systems) M109 155mm self propelled howitzer. The fully enclosed turret is mounted on the customised aluminium chassis.
The vehicle accommodates four crew members including a commander, driver, ammo loader and a charge loader. It was designed to carry high volumes of payload to targets within short time.
The high automation technology used in the Primus enables the minimal four-man crew to operate the system effectively. The howitzer shares several automotive components with the Bionix infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) operated by the SAF.