Fact Sheet: Ex Forging Sabre 2019 – "Pervasive, Smart, Deadly"

Ex Forging Sabre 2019 (XFS 19) is a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) integrated strike exercise involving a suite of sense and strike assets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Singapore Army. XFS 19 is conducted in Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, where the SAF trains in a vast "battlefield" comprising the Mountain Home Range Complex and Utah Test and Training Range. The networked and integrated SAF is able to maintain a "Pervasive" presence on the battlefield. Information on enemy forces is transmitted from a suite of sensors to the "Smart" Command Post (CP), where decision support systems enable SAF commanders to make effective decisions and coordinate precise and "Deadly" strikes on multiple targets simultaneously.

Pervasive

The suite of aerial and ground sensors from the RSAF and the Singapore Army collect timely and accurate intelligence of enemy forces across multiple areas of operations, providing the CP with a 24/7 comprehensive situational picture of the battlefield. In the sky, the RSAF's Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operate silently, providing persistent and pervasive surveillance of the battlefield by locating, identifying and lasing targets. On the ground, the Commando detachment, guided by sensors such as the Heron 1 UAV, is able to close in and conduct cooperative lasing for strike assets, such as the multi-role fighter aircraft, to destroy enemy targets with greater accuracy. XFS 19 also marks the inaugural participation of the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport in an overseas exercise. With the deployment of the MRTT, fighter aircraft are now able to stay airborne longer and go further than before.

Smart

With a myriad of sense and strike assets working together during XFS 19, there is a vast amount of information that needs to be communicated effectively for missions to be accomplished successfully. This is where the SAF's CP comes into play. The Defence Technology Community leveraged the latest technologies to help the SAF become a smarter and more connected fighting force. The CP integrates data provided by the sensors to provide commanders with a digitalised and comprehensive situational picture of the battlefield. This Smart CP enables commanders to make faster, better informed and more effective decisions. Through the CP, the locations of multiple hostile threats are transmitted to the strike assets, guiding them to strike their targets with deadly precision. 

Deadly

The SAF's integrated strike capability comprises a large number of assets and weapons that are able to effectively neutralise different types of enemy threats. The F-15SG and F-16C/D fighter aircraft, and the Apache AH-64D attack helicopters are directed by the smart information generated by the CP to deliver swift, precise and deadly strikes on multiple aerial and ground targets simultaneously across different areas of operations, in day and night conditions. Through the close integration with the CP, the fighter aircraft, armed with precision weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition and laser guided bombs, can rapidly destroy multiple moving targets, while the attack helicopters comb the battlefield to engage enemy vehicles and tanks. The fighter aircraft also have the ability to destroy enemy headquarters and buildings with their advanced munitions.

More Resources

SAF Validates Operational Capabilities through Complex Strike Missions in the US

Fact Sheet: DSTA-enhanced Command and Control System Boosts SAF Sense-Strike Capability