High-rise buildings, loud blasts and MRT train among features at newly-launched SAFTI City

HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

Next to the bus interchange was one such high-rise structure – a 12-storey “office building” called Murai Tower – which simulates an office building. Members of the media were brought to the top floor. 

There are three 12-storey buildings in the city, with the other two simulating a residential block and a hotel. 

Sensors with QR codes are dotted around the building – along corridors, rooms and the lift – allowing trainers to track each soldier’s position during a combat exercise. 

Devices marked in yellow and black are located on the exterior of buildings. Known as a “shoot through wall module”, they can simulate a wall “crumbling” when a soldier shoots at it. This adds to the realism of battle, as soldiers can no longer hide behind walls if they are “destroyed”. 

There are also speakers that emit noises, such as blasts from an air strike, to keep soldiers on their toes. 

There are a total of around 11,000 such sensors and devices installed throughout SAFTI City, which help add to the realism of warfare and track the movement of soldiers. 

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a statement that SAFTI City “is designed to resemble a densely populated urbanised city, with a mix of low and high-rise buildings having multiple entries and exits, interconnected buildings, subterranean environment, presenting a realistic environment to challenge our soldiers in the complexities of urban operations”.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Darius Kwa, operations manager of SAFTI City said SAFTI City was built to train soldiers for “high intensity” urban operations, disaster relief, homeland security and counter-terrorism. 

To ensure its relevancy in the Singapore context, the mix of high-rise and low-rise buildings was modelled after the country’s urban landscape, taking reference from different Housing Board (HDB) town centres. 

“Within these 71 buildings, you will also see public amenities being built, for example, hospitals, schools, as well as a transport hub,” said LTC Kwa, who is from the Singapore army’s Training and Doctrine Command.