USING a mini-computer strapped onto his wrist, the army platoon commander spies on an enemy tank via real-time images beamed to the device from a drone orbiting the battlefield.

A tap on the screen with a stylus and his commanders back at headquarters will unleash artillery fire to take out the tank.

This is not the script for a futuristic Hollywood war flick, but the scenario played out in a live-firing exercise yesterday in Choa Chu Kang, where Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops tested their latest weapon - digital information gathering.

Spearheading the 'digitisation' of the army is the SAF's 3rd Division, which has been experimenting with battle-rugged computers that allow front-line troops to exchange information with their commanders, as well as other friendly forces, including Apache helicopters.

Third Division commander, Brigadier-General Tan Yih San, said: 'We used to work with information three to six hours old. This put a lot more pressure on hypothesising the next step because we had to think ahead much further.

'Now, information that reaches us is around 30 minutes old and this allows us to fight the battle at a much faster tempo.'

His 'office' in the field - modified five-tonne trucks filled with computers and communications equipment - is a big change from not so many years ago, when it would have been a field tent filled with maps with hand-drawn overlays.

Now, his staff officers monitor information sent to HQ by soldiers, aerial drones and armoured vehicles to form a comprehensive picture of the battlefield.

Computerised maps of the battle present a live bird's-eye view of the war games, allowing 3rd Division to pinpoint the enemy's weak spots and launch counter-attacks decisively.

Said BG Tan: 'The soldier out there doesn't just fight with what he has. He fights with the entire capability of the SAF.'

See first, see more, understand fast and decide better - this has been a catchphrase since 2000, when the army ramped up its transformation drive.

But the big difference yesterday was that the battle was fought not with experimental systems, but with equipment that had passed years of rigorous field trials.

Making all this possible is a new breed of tech-savvy soldiers at ease with high-tech gadgets, such as Corporal Phang Peow Wai. The 22-year-old, who enlisted in March last year with a diploma in infocomm engineering, now handles communications equipment for the 3rd Signal Battalion.

Second Lieutenant Lai Chee Keen, 20, a full-time national serviceman, said the Battlefield Management System in his Bionix 2 armoured fighting vehicle helps him build a better mental picture of the unfolding battle.

'The screen shows where the targets are, where the obstacles are and where the friendly forces are,' he said. 'Everyone sees the same picture so there is no confusion.'

Going forward, BG Tan said the army will continue with its battle experiments so it can field improved versions of the equipment and systems as technology matures.

He added: 'This ensures we can bring the capabilities we have built over many years in the air force and navy to the army's fight, and more important, right down to the soldiers' level so when they are out there, they never fight alone.'

dboey@sph.com.sg