We’re at the ST Kinetics’ skatepark for mechanical monsters. It’s a large smooth concrete testing ground of log-like humps, mountainous inclines, curved swathes and a wading pool that’s twice a man’s height.
And we’re crawling over the army’s latest toy – The Terrex – like a bunch of ants.
The 24-ton (that’s 24,000 kg) armour-plated vehicle looks like two D-day barges bookending a kosong sandwich on eight “I’m-gonna-crush-you” wheels. There were discreet lumps on the edges of the vehicle. The roof turret with an unblinking camera swivelled around and around. Human heads encased in large headphones poked through two hatches.
They disregard the baking sun. And revved up the engine.
“How many people worked on it? About 20 electrical engineers and 20 to 30 mechanical engineers.”
The Terrex – conceived in 2001 as an infantry carrier vehicle – took nine years and three prototypes before it was ready for production.
It was all a matter of balance. Of getting it right before getting it out.
If you make it too wide, you’ll need bigger tires and stronger supports, which makes it heavier. If it’s too narrow, it can’t carry as many passengers. Use a double wishbone suspension, it’ll be more comfortable for the troops but it’s more complicated to maintain.
So the engineers designed it so that each choice of material, mechanical work and electrical components do not hinder but support each other.
Sounds easy? Try keeping track of the interactions between 468 different components and systems.
“The difference between this and other tanks – it’s like 3G versus 1G.”
Think of it as the 1980’s 大哥大 phone versus your iPhone. They’re both phones, they both make calls but the iPhone comes with a lot more functions and conveniences than the大哥大 phone.
The same goes for the Terrex.
Cameras give the driver a 360-degree view of its surroundings. So he can retreat into the Terrex’s air-conditioned depths and pilot the vehicle without coming up for sunlight. An LCD touch screen dominates one end of the interior for commanders can show images captured by the cameras, black and white thermal images taken by the main gun’s camera, and supply mission briefings to soldiers while enroute to their destination.
But its biggest asset is the ability to communicate to other units on the battlefield. Every recorded image and piece of information is sent to command headquarters for analysis via satellite networks.
After all as Sun Tze once said, “half the battle is won, if you know your enemy.” And the Terrex isn’t really all that terrible, just don’t get in its way when it’s running at full tilt.
PS: We recommend riding in the Terrex. And get the driver to do a skid turn. It’s like drifting in a Tokyo racing car… but one that’s all ‘roided up.
Singapore Army Terrex (src: ChineseJunk1)
Office Visits
A series of visits to engineering companies to promote awareness of engineering and how it’s responsible for things around us.
- We’ve been to:
- Exxon Mobil
- ST Aerospace (22 Jan 2010)
- ST Kinetics (29 Jan 2010)
- SIA Engineering (17 Mar 2010)
Office Visits are organised by the Singapore Science Centre
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