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 Since
1999, the Army together with Defence Science
& Technolody Agency (DSTA) and Dynamic
Nobel of Germany embarked on the development
of a Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon to meet
the needs of the modern battlefield, especially
of that in an increasingly urbanised environment.
This weapon, which has been named MATADOR,
will eventually replace the ARMBRUST Light
Anti-tank Weapon which has been in service
since the 1980s. The rapid pace in which
this weapon was developed is a shinning
example of the close tri-partite effort.
This being significant as Dynamic Nobel
is a continent away from Singapore.
MATADOR is the first weapon in the world
which has both anti-armour and anti-brickwall
capabilities that is suited for operations
in confined spaces. With enhanced penetration,
this weapon is able to defeat most known Armoured Personnel Carrier and Light Tanks
in the world. The warhead when acting in
the delay mode creates a hole of 450mm diameter
in a double brickwall and offers a non-conventional
entry point for the soldier when fighting
in built-up area. The increased range of
the weapon over our ARMBRUST allows the
soldier to engage targets beyond small arms
effective range and therefore increasing
the survivability of our soldiers.
In the development, special attention has
also been given to ensure that the European
designers understood the anthropomorphic
profile of our soldiers. There were numerous
human factors trials involving our National
Servicemen (NSmen) with the aim to improve
the ergonomics of the weapon. In addition,
many of the useful features found in the
ARMBRUST were incorporated in MATADOR. Improvements
have also been made to the sighting system
to enhance target acquisition. Furthermore,
the carriage of the weapon has been made
more comfortable with better padding, a
feature useful for long matches. Taken together,
these easy to use features will help our
soldiers achieve proficiency in using the
weapon within the shortest possible time.
The introduction of MATADOR in the Army
will greatly enhance the firepower of the
Infantry Section. It will give the Army
the added capability to fight in built-up
areas. With the improvements to make the
weapon user friendly, our soldiers will
find the weapon easy to operate and will
spend less training time to achieve proficiency.
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THE MATADOR
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