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| Australian Heron in Afghanistan |
Report by Tan Guan Wei
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) enhanced the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as it inaugurated the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) into 119 Squadron (SQN) on 23 May.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, who officiated at the inauguration ceremony at Murai Camp, pointed out that the SAF's vision for UAVs started as early as the 70s, quoting Singapore's first Defence Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee: "For our kind of terrain, we must have Remotely Piloted Vehicles. We must see the enemy without being seen."
"The UAVs have realised the vision of SAF’s founding pioneers but only through continued investments to develop this capability," he added. "As a result, the SAF today is an advanced user of UAVs... (which) are used routinely in exercises as well as in operations."
Highlighting the importance of the UAV in transforming the SAF into a modern and effective fighting force, Dr Ng noted that the Heron 1 UAV will "provide our commanders, planners and soldiers on the ground (with) better situational awareness to make timely and informed decisions to engage the adversary decisively and complete their missions effectively".
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