Soldiers equipped with the Advanced Combat Man System (ACMS) take part in an Urban Operations exercise.

10:16 GMT, June 9, 2009 Singapore | ST Engineering today announced that its electronics arm, ST Electronics, has been awarded a contract to provide the Advanced Combat Man System (ACMS) to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The project which is worth over S$100m will commence immediately and is expected to be completed by 2012.

The award of this contract is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year.

The ACMS is a 3rd Generation Networked Warrior system fully equipped with advanced C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) and network capabilities. The ACMS is a joint development effort that started in 1998 among the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and ST Electronics with the support of Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd (ST Kinetics) in the area of weapon sub-system. It features innovations from ST Electronics and ST Kinetics. For this contract, ST Kinetics is a subcontractor to ST Electronics.

The development of the ACMS focuses on two key areas - to ensure seamless integration of individual soldier's capabilities and to integrate the soldier as part of a network-centric force. As part of the design of the ACMS, key elements such as the weight of the systems, Man-Machine Interface and the networked and interoperable capability of the ACMS with other systems are defined as some of the requirements for its development. This system aims at improving the situational awareness, mobility, command and control, lethality and survivability of the soldier, resulting in a quantum leap in his fighting capabilities.

The introduction of the ACMS is a part of SAF's 3rd Generation Transformation to progressively provide tactical units with network capabilities, which are vital for ensuring mission success. The ACMS allows section commanders and team leaders to become a part of a larger network that is able to tap into the wider resources of the battalion and call for more responsive and precise fire support. These sections function not only as fighting units but also as ground sensors, tracking the positions of various forces and feeding images and information back to the command headquarters for enhanced command and control of the battlefield.

"With our strong electronics systems expertise, ST Electronics is committed to delivering solutions that aim to enhance the fighting effectiveness and capabilities of our soldiers," said SEAH Moon Ming, Deputy CEO, ST Engineering & President, ST Electronics.