Low visibility due to dust clouds a likely factor in Exercise Wallaby armoured vehicle collision: Ng Eng Hen

SINGAPORE: The collision between two Hunter armoured fighting vehicles during Exercise Wallaby last month may have been a result of low visibility due to dust clouds formed during the movement of the armoured vehicles.

“Preliminary on-site checks found that low visibility due to the dust clouds formed during movement of the Hunter AFVs was the likely contributory factor,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (Oct 15).

He was responding to questions from Member of Parliament Dennis Tan (WP-Hougang) about the cause of the accident and whether there are lessons to be learnt to improve training safety.

Twelve Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen were injured after the collision in Queensland, Australia on Sep 24. They rejoined their unit after receiving medical care for their “non-serious” injuries, the Singapore Army said.

Dr Ng said the troops on board the two Hunter vehicles during Exercise Wallaby had kept to the safety protocols, including the use of seat belts and protective gear.

“After the safety time-out, all drivers were reminded to maintain the requisite safety distances when driving, especially when visibility was poor,” Dr Ng added, reiterating a point made last month by the Army.

Soldiers were also reminded to adhere to safety protocols, including the use of safety equipment.

“The incident and reminders were further shared with participants of subsequent phases of the exercise and other units in Singapore through safety briefs,” the minister said.

Dr Ng added that the Army has started a formal investigation into the incident in accordance with the SAF’s protocol.

“Upon completion of the investigation, further lessons learnt and recommendations made will be implemented as appropriate.”