Soldiers get more hands-on experience with firing live rounds

SINGAPORE - The foot soldiers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will get 50 to 60 per cent more hands-on experience with firing live rounds during combat training, as the SAF increasingly equips soldiers with the skills to fight in the urban zone.

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Here is the statement from Mindef:

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen officiated the opening of the Murai Urban Live Firing Facility (MULFAC) at the Lim Chu Kang Live Firing Area this morning.

The MULFAC provides the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) with enhanced training effectiveness in a safe urban live firing environment.

MULFAC enables the SAF to execute a full urban operations mission up to a company-sized force.

This facility helps to hone instinctive shooting skills and allows soldiers to apply rules of engagement that require real-time target analysis before a soldier shoots. It also provides opportunities for our commanders and soldiers to experience the complexities of urban fighting in a live firing setting.

Comprising a cluster of five urban buildings, the MULFAC also features a hand grenade live firing house, and a learning-centric After Action Review (AAR) facility. It includes various firebases to complement the close-quarter firings in the buildings.

It is amongst the first facilities in the world to be integrated with soldier tactical systems, combat effects instrumentation, and advanced ballistic materials in enabling a safe, realistic, and engaging training.

Benchmarked against urban facilities such as those in the United States and Australia, the MULFAC provides the unique capability for soldiers to fire up to 7.62mm and anti-tank training purpose munitions onto the exterior facades, and close-quarter firing within the same buildings. It also allows soldiers to fire building-to-building to support the assaulting troops.

Also present at the opening were Chief of Army Major-General Perry Lim and senior officers from the SAF.