SINGAPORE achieved another milestone on Friday, with the commissioning of the world's most modern underground ammunition facility at Mandai.

Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean officiated at the commissioning of the Underground Ammunition Facility (UAF), which is also Singapore's first large-scale underground containerised facility to be designed and developed within a densely developed and urbanised area. It is equipped with the latest ammunition storage technology and systems.

Apart from safety and operational requirements, efficient land use and space management were key considerations in the design of the UAF, said a Ministry of Defence statement, which describes the UAF as 'an engineering achievement which has set new standards in underground storage, safety and efficiency'.

Through good systems engineering, the UAF has also achieved efficiencies beyond land use.

'The UAF requires 20 per cent less manpower to operate than a conventional facility by leveraging on IT and automation. The natural insulation provided by the granite caverns also achieves a 50 per cent reduction in the energy required for cooling compared to a conventional depot,' said Mindef.

The team behind the UAF won a Defence Technology Prize last October.

The engineering team comprised members from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and SembCorp Design and Construction. Other research centres which collaborated on the project include the Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, as well as Sandia National Laboratories in the United States, FOI - the Swedish Defence and Research Establishment, and the Norwegian Defence Estate Agency.

The underground storehouse is carved from solid granite. A warren of subterranean road tunnels - big enough for container trucks to drive through - leads several storeys underground to 100m by 26m chambers.

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