The Singapore Army has commissioned a new all-terrain self-propelled mortar system based on its in-service 4×4 Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle (PCSV), designated Belrex PCSV (Mortar), on 28 June.
The new vehicle – which is jointly developed by the army, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and the Land Systems business of local defence prime ST Engineering – is crewed by three personnel and will replace the 120 mm towed mortar currently used by the service's motorised forces.
Front view of the Belrex PCSV (Mortar) vehicle, showing its roof-mounted Adder RMG remote weapon station. (MINDEF)
The vehicle is protected against small arms fire and mine blasts, and is fitted with the ST Engineering Land Systems Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System Mk II (SRAMS Mk II), which is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore mortar mounted in an armoured rear cabin.
The automated SRAMS Mk II is provided with an integrated fire control system (FCS) and can deploy in approximately 30 seconds – 80% faster than the towed mortar – to execute fire missions at a sustained rate of fire of four rds/min for 20 minutes, or at maximum rate of 10 rds/min for three minutes. This also represents a 67% increase in rate of fire compared to the towed mortar, as well as a 50% decrease in manpower requirements.
Belrex – a portmanteau of Bellum (war) and Rex (king) – is a family of 20-tonne 4×4 PCSVs that was commissioned on 25 November 2016. The baseline vehicle is intended to provide the army's combat support and combat service support (CSS) units with improved protected, firepower, and situational awareness over the soft-skinned trucks that are typically used for logistics operations.
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