SINGAPORE, Jan 28 (Bernama) — About 500 soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are now in New Zealand for the annual artillery exercise codenamed “Exercise Thunder Warrior” with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
Singapore’s Defence Ministry said in a statement today that the exercise, involving soldiers from the 23rd and 24th Battalion of the Singapore artillery and a military intelligence battalion, would strengthen interoperability between the two armed forces.
It said the exercise, held annually in New Zealand since 1997, was a testimony of the warm and long-standing relations between the SAF and the NZDF.
The SAF brought its world’s first heli-portable and self-propelled howitzers, the FH2000 Pegasus, with integrated support from weapon locating radars and mini-unmanned aerial vehicles for the live-firing exercise.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand army provided logistical support and deployed a battery of 105mm artillery guns from its 16th Field Regiment in the combined live-firing phase of the exercise.
The 18-day exercise, ending Friday, is ongoing at the Waiouru Training Area in New Zealand.