India to open test range for Singapore

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

India has further cemented it military ties with Singapore and will allow the use of Chandipur Integrated Test Range by the city-state’s defence establishment.

India and Singapore today signed a letter of intent to register the commitment of both sides to conclude a memorandum of understanding to allow the use of the test range. New Delhi tests its arsenal such as the long-range Agni series of missiles from the same facility.

This was agreed during the 4th Singapore-India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Singaporean counterpart Dr NG Eng Hen in Singapore.

Rajnath Singh offered the setting up of joint test facilities under the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme of India. Dr Ng agreed to explore opportunities for joint collaboration. The ministers also agreed to explore cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, geo-spatial data sharing and cyber security, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said.

Since 2015 the relationship between the two countries has deepened to encompass military cooperation across all three services of the armed forces, defence technology cooperation as well as cooperation through multilateral engagements.

The inaugural edition of the Singapore-India-Thailand Maritime Exercise (SITMEX) in the Andaman Sea was conducted in September 2019.

The two sides agreed to conduct the trilateral maritime exercise involving Singapore, India and Thailand annually from next year.

The Singaporean minister appreciated India’s continued support for the training of the Singaporean forces in India. Moreover, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Singapore Air Force-Indian Air Force Joint Military Training this year, the exercise was expanded to include an air-sea training component for the first time. The increasing degree of complexity of the bilateral exercises reflects the growing confidence and mutual respect for each other’s professional capabilities.

Rajnath Singh also visited the Kranji War Memorial and paid tributes to those who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the World War II.