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140-763: The original Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was formed during the Second World War and took part in the Invasion of Normandy , where it provided fire support for Royal Marine units landing. It was primarily equipped with Centaur IV tanks fitted with a 95 mm howitzer ; there were also a smaller number of Sherman tanks , which were used as artillery observation posts or command vehicles. The Group consisted of two Armoured Support Regiments, each of two Armoured Support Batteries, plus an independent Armoured Support Battery. Each Battery consisted of four troops, with each troop equipped with four Centaur and one Sherman tank, giving

280-543: A Detroit Diesel Corporation 6V 92TIA diesel engine developing 550 hp coupled to a General Dynamics Land Systems HMPT-500-3EC fully automatic transmission. The maximum road speed of the Primus is 50 km/h, with an operating range of 350 km, its combat weight is of 28.3 tons allows it to use the SAF 's current military bridging systems. The Primus could be deployed by the future Airbus A400M Transport aircraft. The Bionix

420-637: A Neutrality Pact in April 1941, and Japan adopted the doctrine of Nanshin-ron , promoted by the Navy, which took its focus southward and eventually led to war with the United States and the Western Allies. In Europe, Germany and Italy were becoming more aggressive. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria , again provoking little response from other European powers. Encouraged, Hitler began pressing German claims on

560-564: A cautious French probe into the Saarland . The Western Allies also began a naval blockade of Germany , which aimed to damage the country's economy and war effort. Germany responded by ordering U-boat warfare against Allied merchant and warships, which would later escalate into the Battle of the Atlantic . On 8 September, German troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw . The Polish counter-offensive to

700-702: A show cause notice before it was blacklisted. On 25 May 2012, ST Kinetics filed a writ petition in the High Court of Delhi against the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Indian Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), challenging the debarment order. In February 2013, ST Kinetics appointed Tata International as its distributor in Africa, thus expanding its distribution and customer support network for both its LeeBoy and TRXBUILD brands in 13 other countries. In

840-507: A 3-shot under-barrel grenade launcher called the 3GL . The 3GL is intended to replace the M203 under barrel grenade launcher for most military rifles including the M16 , AK-47 , SAR 21 and Steyr AUG . It can also be detached to operate as a stand-alone weapon. In September 2013, Thales and ST Kinetics agreed to develop, manufacture and market ST Kinetics' 40mm low-velocity air-bursting ammunition for

980-518: A 4×4 wheeled vehicle. The 120SRAM has a navigation and positioning system, power gun drives and integrated with an automatic fire control system, which require just a 3-person crew to operate the weapon. The FH-2000 is a 155 mm 52-calibre towed howitzer gun and the "first 52 calibre field howitzer in service and in series production". Designed and built locally in Singapore by CIS, the FH-2000 deploys

1120-535: A bid to leverage on China's cost advantage. Competition would include the Russian Vityaz DT-(10/20/30)P models and BAe Hagglunds' BVS10 . The Terrex AV81 is an armoured fighting vehicle weighing between 25 and 30 tons an 8×8 wheeled chassis and modern armour. Multiple weapon platforms are supported, including both the remote and overhead weapons stations. The Terrex's modular design allows for different level of armour protection and weapon systems. It

1260-431: A contract with the SAF to overhaul, maintain and repair its military ground equipment. Singapore Test Services by then was offering specialized tests and inspection services to both military and civilian customers. In 1997, ST Auto, together with Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (ST Aerospace), Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd (ST Electronics), and Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine), were merged to form

1400-574: A crew of 8 and can use a low-powered self-propelled engine to travel at 10 km/h without towing. It fires projectiles to a maximum range of 42 km using special extended range ammunition that was field tested in New Zealand. The Pegasus is the world's first heli-portable 155 mm 39 calibre self-propelled light howitzer, capable of offering aerial mobility for shoot and scoot . The Pegasus' automatic ammunition loading system, advanced sight, lightweight material and innovative recoil management make

1540-552: A fully loaded 30-round 9 mm magazine) and uses a unique bolt lever cam recoil mitigation system to control recoil and muzzle rise to increase target hits. Full-auto cyclic rate of fire is a relatively high 900 to 1100 rpm. ST Kinetics is one of the few producers of both 40 mm munition and weapon systems. The range of 40 mm rounds include low velocity, high velocity, less-than-lethal, camera, self-destruct, airburst and enhanced blast insensitive explosive rounds. There are currently 3 weapon systems available, namely

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1680-520: A handful of rear-line units. The Ultimax 100 was designed by L. James Sullivan , who previously had redesigned Eugene Stoner's 7.62 mm AR10 assault rifle into a smaller 5.56 mm version, the M16. The Ultimax 100 was considered by experts as one of the most manageable light machine guns in the world. The Ultimax 100 makes use of Sullivan's patented counter recoil mechanism that makes the Ultimax 100 "not just

1820-651: A leading producer of commercial asphalt pavers and motor-graders since 1964 in the U.S. Hackney and Kidron are aluminium and refrigerated truck bodies manufacturers respectively in the U.S. Hackney beverage trucks has been marketing its optimised compartmentalisation and light-weight aluminium bodies as means to lower lifecycle costs to the operators. Kidron has pioneered multi-temperature distribution with its Adjustable Compartmentalised Multi-temperature System (ACMT) of movable partitions. The ACMT allows configuration of loads requiring different temperature and compartment sizes. Hackney Emergency also designs emergency vehicles for

1960-508: A manageable full-automatic weapon, but a machine gun that can be aimed". In the mid 90s, the SAF decided to develop an indigenous rifle to replace the aging M16S1, most of which had been in service since the 70s. The other option was to procure new—and more expensive—weapons, with the chief contender being the M16A2. The Advanced Combat Rifle was conceived, and it eventually became the SAR 21. The SAR 21

2100-537: A month later, on 17 July 2008, the contract notice setting out the requirement for ATV(S) was cancelled. The Ministry of Defence gave the following reason: The requirement for an All Terrain Military Vehicle (ATV (S)) under LASS1A/0340 has been delayed due to internal reviews. It is anticipated that a revised announcement will be advertised in the UK MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin in mid 2009 and

2240-596: A platform to introduce and support ST Kinetics' automotive and specialty vehicles products and services in Myanmar's burgeoning economy, as part of its plan to grow its commercial business in the country. The M16S1 is the M16A1 rifle made under license by STELS. It was the standard-issue weapon of the Singapore Armed Forces and has been replaced by the newer SAR 21 in most branches. It has been retained in small numbers for

2380-708: A presence in the global marketplace even though its subsidiaries are well-established brands within their respective countries. In 2008, ST Kinetics began to market selected commercial vehicles and the hybrid drive solutions as ecological products. ST Kinetics' BZK JV in China produces fixed and articulated off-road dumptrucks ranging from 20 to 52 ton. BZK also produces complementary products like cement carriers and mixers and terminal port tractors for container ports operation. Jonyang excavators has been in operation in China and surrounding regions over 30 years, and manufactured both wheeled and tracked hydraulic excavators. LeeBoy has been

2520-514: A pretext to initiate the invasion. The first German attack of the war came against the Polish defences at Westerplatte . The United Kingdom responded with an ultimatum for Germany to cease military operations, and on 3 September, after the ultimatum was ignored, Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the Phoney War period, the alliance provided no direct military support to Poland, outside of

2660-765: A pretext to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig , and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the German demands, and on the night of 30–31 August in a confrontational meeting with the British ambassador Nevile Henderson , Ribbentrop declared that Germany considered its claims rejected. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland after having staged several false flag border incidents as

2800-421: A quick-detachable barrel equipped with a carrying handle. The gun is operated using dual gas pistons, located in two gas tubes placed on either side of the barrel. The barrel is locked by means of a rotary bolt with multiple radial lugs that engages the barrel extension, eliminating the need for headspace adjustments. The STK 50MG utilizes the same "constant recoil" system used in the Ultimax 100. A unique feature of

2940-469: A secret protocol that defined German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (western Poland and Lithuania for Germany; eastern Poland , Finland, Estonia , Latvia and Bessarabia for the Soviet Union), and raised the question of continuing Polish independence. The pact neutralised the possibility of Soviet opposition to a campaign against Poland and assured that Germany would not have to face the prospect of

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3080-743: A similar pact and rejected ceding part of its territory to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, and was subsequently expelled from the League of Nations for this crime of aggression. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, Soviet military success during the Winter War was modest, and the Finno-Soviet war ended in March 1940 with some Finnish concessions of territory . In June 1940,

3220-493: A single act of true grit - through courage, determination or self-sacrifice – be it on or off duty". Second World War Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers . Nearly all

3360-686: A total of 80 Centaur and 20 Sherman tanks in the group, which fought on the British and Canadian D-Day beaches. The wartime RMASG was disbanded two weeks after D-Day (D+14). Part of the Armoured Support Group, which had been reformed as the 29th Infantry Battalion, Royal Marines, was moved to Aldershot to become the 34th Amphibian Support Regiment, Royal Marines. The Regiment moved to India in 1945, collected equipment and trained for operations that were planned to take place in Malaya in September. The unit

3500-519: A two-front war, as it had in World War   I. Immediately afterwards, Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that the United Kingdom had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it. In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, Germany made demands on Poland, which served as

3640-470: Is a U.S. industry leader in commercial class asphalt pavers. In 2012, ST Kinetics reorganised itself into 2 business groups. The Defence Business Group handles all military business and the Commercial Business Group manages the commercial businesses. On 5 March 2012, ST Kinetics is one of 6 companies that were blacklisted by India's Ministry of Defence for 10 years. The company was issued

3780-454: Is also capable of providing full chemical, biological and nuclear protection in extreme operational conditions. The baseline configuration is fully amphibious . Two water jets mounted on either side at the back of the hull propel the vehicle through water at 10 km/h. Initially developed for export sales from the number of emerging wheeled armoured vehicle requirements including U.S. Interim Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) concept, which calls for

3920-512: Is also collaborating with Australia's Metal Storm and Electro Optics System to develop a new high-speed and recoilless 40 mm grenade launcher called the Redback Lightweight. The company is reportedly the world's largest producer of the 40AGL, with more than 2,000 of the 40AGLs sold to the SAF and overseas customers. In 2008, the company entered into a teaming agreement with Electro-Optic Systems (EOS) and Metal Storm (MS) to develop

4060-545: Is armoured, amphibious and fitted with (or fitted for but not with ) weapon systems, in a supporting role to VIKING, to replace the existing BV206". The new system would be known as the All Terrain Vehicle Support (ATV(S)) and be capable of high mobility operation in a variety of terrains and threat environments as well as being amphibious. A need for between 47 and 212 ATV(S) was foreseen at an estimated cost of between £100 million to £250 million. However, just over

4200-551: Is built into its carrying handle. The scope aids in target acquisition. The scope is factory-zeroed, and requires minimal further zeroing to suit different users. This minimizes non-training range time to zero the weapons and maximises live-firing training hours. See also: Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd unveiled the Bullpup Multirole Combat Rifle (BMCR) during the Singapore Airshow 2014. Claimed to be

4340-573: Is designed to be air-portable by C-130s or equivalent cargo aircraft. The Terrex uses a patented independent double wishbone suspension , which greatly improves ground mobility and comfort during rides over rough terrains. The use of automatic traction control and the capacity for large footprint off-road tyres enables the Terrex to reach high speed on soft ground. The vehicle has a double hull with an external V-hull that improves mine blast survivability. Add-on armour provides further protection for troops. It

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4480-473: Is the first production assault rifle of its class to incorporate a built-in Laser Aiming Device (LAD) (powered by a single "AA" battery ) as standard. The rifle incorporates various patented safety features, such as a Kevlar cheek plate and overpressure vent that protects the shooter in the unlikely event of a chamber explosion or catastrophic failure. It also has an integral 1.5× optical scope that

4620-638: The 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun and some crewmen are armed with the L22 carbine version of the British SA80 family. Viking was deployed operationally with British Forces in southern Afghanistan, supporting both 3 Cdo Bde and other roulements . The need for the RMASG, now Viking Squadron, came about because the Viking was so successful with 3 Cdo Bde on Op Herrick 5 that the incoming forces on Op Herrick 6 requested that

4760-588: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression . The situation became a crisis in late August as German troops continued to mobilise against the Polish border. On 23 August the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, after tripartite negotiations for a military alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Soviet Union had stalled. This pact had

4900-662: The British Empire , with fighting in the Balkans , Mediterranean, and Middle East , the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz , and naval Battle of the Atlantic . Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy , Japan , and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of

5040-566: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 , and a democratic government, later known as the Weimar Republic , was created. The interwar period saw strife between supporters of the new republic and hardline opponents on both the political right and left. Italy, as an Entente ally, had made some post-war territorial gains; however, Italian nationalists were angered that the promises made by the United Kingdom and France to secure Italian entrance into

5180-814: The German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France 's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939. Dates for the beginning of the Pacific War include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or the earlier Japanese invasion of Manchuria , on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor , who stated that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously, and

5320-499: The Infinitely Variable Transmissions (IVT) that Silvatech had developed for its forestry equipment. 2003 was the year ST Kinetics decided to venture into the new commercial vehicles business to leverage on the engineering and fabrication capabilities it has acquired through the military vehicle projects. That year, ST Kinetics went into an equal-share joint venture with Beijing Heavy Duty Truck Plant (BHDTP) to form

5460-567: The Italian mainland , and Allied offensives in the Pacific—cost the Axis powers their initiative and forced them into strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France at Normandy , while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies westward. At the same time, Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled

5600-537: The Japanese Navy and captured key islands . The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories ; the invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide ; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 . Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration ,

5740-682: The League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Both Italy and Ethiopia were member nations, but the League did little when the former clearly violated Article X of the League's Covenant . The United Kingdom and France supported imposing sanctions on Italy for the invasion, but the sanctions were not fully enforced and failed to end the Italian invasion. Italy subsequently dropped its objections to Germany's goal of absorbing Austria . When civil war broke out in Spain, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to

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5880-693: The Nationalist rebels , led by General Francisco Franco . Italy supported the Nationalists to a greater extent than the Nazis: Mussolini sent more than 70,000 ground troops, 6,000 aviation personnel, and 720 aircraft to Spain. The Soviet Union supported the existing government of the Spanish Republic . More than 30,000 foreign volunteers, known as the International Brigades , also fought against

6020-629: The Rome–Berlin Axis . A month later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact , which Italy joined the following year. The Kuomintang (KMT) party in China launched a unification campaign against regional warlords and nominally unified China in the mid-1920s, but was soon embroiled in a civil war against its former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allies and new regional warlords . In 1931, an increasingly militaristic Empire of Japan , which had long sought influence in China as

6160-581: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941. By contrast, the Germans were steadily making preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union, massing forces on the Soviet border. Hitler believed that the United Kingdom's refusal to end the war was based on the hope that the United States and the Soviet Union would enter the war against Germany sooner or later. On 31 July 1940, Hitler decided that

6300-580: The Stresa Front in April 1935 in order to contain Germany, a key step towards military globalisation ; however, that June, the United Kingdom made an independent naval agreement with Germany, easing prior restrictions. The Soviet Union, concerned by Germany's goals of capturing vast areas of Eastern Europe , drafted a treaty of mutual assistance with France. Before taking effect, though, the Franco-Soviet pact

6440-689: The Sudetenland , an area of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. Soon the United Kingdom and France followed the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and conceded this territory to Germany in the Munich Agreement , which was made against the wishes of the Czechoslovak government, in exchange for a promise of no further territorial demands. Soon afterwards, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede additional territory to Hungary, and Poland annexed

6580-428: The Tanggu Truce was signed in 1933. Thereafter, Chinese volunteer forces continued the resistance to Japanese aggression in Manchuria , and Chahar and Suiyuan . After the 1936 Xi'an Incident , the Kuomintang and CCP forces agreed on a ceasefire to present a united front to oppose Japan. The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a brief colonial war that began in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war began with

6720-466: The Trans-Olza region of Czechoslovakia. Although all of Germany's stated demands had been satisfied by the agreement, privately Hitler was furious that British interference had prevented him from seizing all of Czechoslovakia in one operation. In subsequent speeches Hitler attacked British and Jewish "war-mongers" and in January 1939 secretly ordered a major build-up of the German navy to challenge British naval supremacy. In March 1939, Germany invaded

6860-506: The Treaty of Craiova . The loss of one-third of Romania's 1939 territory caused a coup against King Carol II, turning Romania into a fascist dictatorship under Marshal Ion Antonescu , with a course set towards the Axis in the hopes of a German guarantee. Meanwhile, German-Soviet political relations and economic co-operation gradually stalled, and both states began preparations for war. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway to protect shipments of iron ore from Sweden , which

7000-407: The Ultimax 100 SAW, the SAR-80 and the SR-88 assault rifles. Several other companies were formed under CIS over the span of the next 2 decades, with the expansion of the defence business, such as Unicorn International (UI) in 1971, Ordnance & Development Engineering (ODE) in 1973, Singapore Test Services (STS) in 1980 and Chartered Chemicals (CCI) in 1982. Shortly after the formation of CIS,

7140-401: The United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , in which they had agreed on " spheres of influence " in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania . After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and

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7280-423: The United States or NATO specifications for export. The company holds a number of subsidiaries overseas, mainly in the United States, Canada and China. Recent acquisitions between 2004 and 2009 have seen new construction equipment, specialised bodies and trailers for urban services being brought into ST Kinetics' stable of products, which was previously dominated by military weapons and platforms. Together with

7420-426: The Wehrmacht rapidly advanced to the Channel and cut off the Allied forces in Belgium, trapping the bulk of the Allied armies in a cauldron on the Franco-Belgian border near Lille. The United Kingdom was able to evacuate a significant number of Allied troops from the continent by early June, although they had to abandon almost all their equipment. On 10 June, Italy invaded France , declaring war on both France and

7560-451: The aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan . Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria , the Spanish Civil War , the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland . World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany , under Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland , prompting

7700-404: The reunification of East and West Germany to take place and resolved most post–World War   II issues. No formal peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union was ever signed, although the state of war between the two countries was terminated by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 , which also restored full diplomatic relations between them. World War I had radically altered

7840-403: The 40 mm Grenade Launcher (40GL), the 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (40AGL) and the 40 mm Lightweight Automatic Grenade Launcher (40LWAGL, a portable version that is half the weight of conventional AGLs). The 40AGL was made in 1990, followed by the 40LWAGL in 2001 (previously called the 40 mm Super Light Weight AGL). The 40AGL is mounted in combination with the 12.7-mm 50MG in

7980-468: The 40 mm grenade launchers, and the 40/50 Cupola Weapon system. Allied Ordnance of Singapore (AOS) was offering a range of advanced low-level air defence equipment, including the 40 mm L70 air defense gun system, and missile and Optronic fire control systems. For the automotive business, ST Auto took on the AMX-13 Light Tank upgrading project, and refurbished the M113 APC, Commando V100 and V200 armored vehicles, LARC V amphibious. ST Auto also signed

8120-416: The 50MG is its dual belt-feed system that allows for fast and easy switching of ammunition from standard ball to armor-piercing Saboted Light Armor Penetrator (SLAP) . Such systems are more commonly used in modern automatic cannons. The 120SRAMS is developed specifically for rapid and close range requirements of the battlefield. The semi-automatic Ammunition Transfer System and the patented Valve System in

8260-409: The Allies were attempting to cut off . Denmark capitulated after six hours , and despite Allied support , Norway was conquered within two months. British discontent over the Norwegian campaign led to the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who was replaced by Winston Churchill on 10   May 1940. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France . To circumvent

8400-470: The Armoured Support 'branch'. A proposal to form a new specialisation and indeed to call it the 'Armoured Support' specialisation (in recognition of the Royal Marines' armoured units of WWII) was put forward and argued by then OC Viking Training Sqn - Major Jez Hermer MBE RM, the officer who had taken BvS10 on operations for the first time in Afghanistan in September 2006, prior to the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group being formed in December 2007. In 2018,

8540-411: The Armoured Support Group was renamed the Viking Squadron . Viking Squadron is under the overall control of Commando Logistic Regiment and is the armoured element of UK Commando Force, equipped with the Viking armoured vehicle. The Viking BvS10 All Terrain Vehicle, is a protected tracked vehicle, which can be configured for troop transport, command and control and other tasks. Viking is equipped with

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8680-410: The Australian and New Zealand markets. ST Kinetics also announced that the company secured a total of more than US$ 30 million worth of international orders from Canada and United States for its 40mm ammunition in October 2013. The 50MG was developed in the 1980s by CIS to replace the 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Browning M2HB machine guns used by the SAF. The CIS engineers learnt from the lesson of

8820-400: The Axis war against the Soviet Union, in Romania's case partially to recapture territory ceded to the Soviet Union . In early June 1940, the Italian Regia Aeronautica attacked and besieged Malta , a British possession. From late summer to early autumn, Italy conquered British Somaliland and made an incursion into British-held Egypt . In October, Italy attacked Greece , but the attack

8960-602: The Beijing Zhonghuan Kinetics Heavy Vehicles Co. Ltd (BZK). In 2005, ST Kinetics acquired Specialized Vehicles Corporation in U.S. along with its Hackney and Kidron brands, 2 market leaders in the U.S. beverage truck bodies business. In the same year, ST Kinetics signed a 60–40 joint venture with Guiyang City Industrial Investment Holding Corporation (GIIHC) to form Guizhou Jonyang Kinetics Co., Ltd. (GJK) that manufactures excavators, and set up STAR Guangzhou and STAR Hangzhou. In June 2006, ST Kinetics wholly acquired Leeboy through ST Engineering's U.S. subsidiary, VT Systems. Leeboy

9100-404: The Bionix IFV to be "a highly effective indigenous armoured vehicle". The Bionix was eventually succeeded by the Bionix II, which was jointly developed by the SAF, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and ST Kinetics. The Bronco is manufactured by ST Kinetics for the Singaporean Army and in small amounts as an UOR for the British Army in Afghanistan. The company is also manufacturing

9240-421: The Blitz , but largely ended in May 1941 after failing to significantly disrupt the British war effort. Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy , using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British Home Fleet scored a significant victory on 27   May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . In November 1939,

9380-431: The CPW for enhanced ergonomics and natural aiming, and a transparent rear magazine so that the operator can see the rounds remaining. Other features include a skeletonised trigger, a full-length Mil-Std-1913 Picatinny top rail for mounting accessories such as optics and lasers, and a shorter bottom rail in front of the trigger guard for mounting a vertical foregrip. The CPW weighs only 1.5 kg empty/dry (2 kg with

9520-497: The Defence Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee , went on to set up several other government-linked defence industries to provide indigenous support for the SAF. One of them was Singapore Automotive Engineering (SAE). SAE was to support automotive-related services for the SAF, and its first immediate task was to service and maintain a fleet of V200 armored vehicles. By 1982, amidst a young, thriving Singapore economy and having built up its capability in automotive servicing and standards, SAE saw

9660-405: The European Axis declaring war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia , but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway ; Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Key setbacks in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and

9800-410: The French possessions of Syria and Lebanon , assisted by the Free French . With the situation in Europe and Asia relatively stable, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union made preparations for war. With the Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany, and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War by seizing resource-rich European possessions in Southeast Asia , the two powers signed

9940-426: The Germans, and the last large operational unit of the Polish Army surrendered on 6   October . Despite the military defeat, Poland never surrendered; instead, it formed the Polish government-in-exile and a clandestine state apparatus remained in occupied Poland. A significant part of Polish military personnel evacuated to Romania and Latvia; many of them later fought against the Axis in other theatres of

10080-505: The Nationalists. Both Germany and the Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The Nationalists won the civil war in April 1939; Franco, now dictator, remained officially neutral during World War   II but generally favoured the Axis . His greatest collaboration with Germany was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front . In July 1937, Japan captured

10220-497: The Pegasus highly survivable, fast to deploy and easy to use. The Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus is a self-propelled artillery unit armed with a 155 mm howitzer jointly developed by the SAF, Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Kinetics. Primus provides the range, firepower and accuracy of the artillery while keeping its weight below 30 tons and width below 3m. Other self-propelled guns such as

10360-660: The Primus 155mm self-propelled artillery gun, the Pegasus 155 mm lightweight howitzer, the Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier and the Terrex 8×8 Armoured Personnel Carrier. ST Kinetics went on to invest in several companies overseas to enhance its engineering capabilities. An example was the acquisition of Silvatech Industries Inc in July 2006, a Canadian company specialising in forestry equipment, and renaming it as Kinetics Drive Solutions (KDS) in August 2006 to focus on

10500-709: The Royal Marines Viking Training Squadron, a subunit of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines based at the Armour Centre in Bovington, Dorset. The Royal Marines Armoured Support specialisation was established in 2005 in recognition of the fact that the then relatively new BvS10 Viking armoured vehicle demanded a high degree of professional and specialist crew training and a professional career progression for Royal Marines within

10640-505: The Royal Navy putting three Italian battleships out of commission after a carrier attack at Taranto , and neutralising several more warships at the Battle of Cape Matapan . Italian defeats prompted Germany to deploy an expeditionary force to North Africa; at the end of March 1941, Rommel 's Afrika Korps launched an offensive which drove back Commonwealth forces. In less than a month, Axis forces advanced to western Egypt and besieged

10780-582: The SAE days to become the Total Support & Services arm of the present day ST Kinetics. ST Kinetics continue to provide MRO services to military, commercial and general customers. As part of the integrated logistics support system for the major platforms, ST Kinetics has established the MRO services under its Kinetics Integrated Services (KIS) arm. KIS also provides maintenance of the existing SAF fleet of MAN trucks. SDDA

10920-481: The SAF and for export overseas. Chartered Ammunition Industries (CAI) was producing small, medium and large caliber ammunition, explosives, pyrotechnics and anti-tank weapons. ODE was producing medium to large caliber weapon systems (mortars, medium caliber cannons, FH88, FH2000). Chartered Firearms Industries (CFI) was producing infantry and crew-served weapons, including the SR88A assault rifle, Ultimax 100, 7.62 mm GPMG,

11060-547: The ST Kinetics' 40/50 cupola weapon system, installed on the M113 and Bionix. The 40AGL weighs 33 kg without mount or ammunition. The objective of ST Kinetics in designing the 40LWAGL was to keep the grenade launcher's weight to below 20 kg, or half the weight of conventional AGLs. Prototype weapons weighed around 14 kg and small quantities have been sold to a few countries, including Sweden, mostly for evaluation. St Kinetics

11200-462: The Singapore Army's aging Ultra M113 armoured personnel carriers , it was commissioned in 2019. It is the Singapore Army's first fully digitalised platform and is designed to provide armoured forces with enhanced capabilities to operate more effectively and efficiently in various phases of military operations. ST Kinetics started on the commercial vehicle business in 2004 and has yet to establish

11340-584: The Soviet Union occupied the entire territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region . In August 1940, Hitler imposed the Second Vienna Award on Romania which led to the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In September 1940, Bulgaria demanded Southern Dobruja from Romania with German and Italian support, leading to

11480-780: The Soviet Union , opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains. Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific , and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China . In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific , including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and

11620-621: The Soviet Union and Mongolia . The Japanese doctrine of Hokushin-ron , which emphasised Japan's expansion northward, was favoured by the Imperial Army during this time. This policy would prove difficult to maintain in light of the Japanese defeat at Khalkin Gol in 1939, the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War and ally Nazi Germany pursuing neutrality with the Soviets. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed

11760-738: The Soviet Union should be eliminated and aimed for the conquest of Ukraine , the Baltic states and Byelorussia . However, other senior German officials like Ribbentrop saw an opportunity to create a Euro-Asian bloc against the British Empire by inviting the Soviet Union into the Tripartite Pact. In November 1940, negotiations took place to determine if the Soviet Union would join the pact. The Soviets showed some interest but asked for concessions from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan that Germany considered unacceptable. On 18 December 1940, Hitler issued

11900-477: The U.S. ( M109 Paladin ), Britain's ( AS90 Braveheart ), Japan's (Type 75) and Russia's (2S3M1) were either too heavy, at over 50 tons, or too wide, beyond 3m, for the tropical rainforest and swampy terrains. The chassis is based on the proven United Defense M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzer , with a new power pack similar to the one fitted on the Bionix infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). The power pack consists of

12040-605: The U.S. markets such as firetrucks and HAZMAT vehicles. ST Kinetics itself also produces a series of urban vehicles, such as ambulances , HAZMAT vehicles, fire engines , terminal prime movers for local use, mostly for local use by the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Singapore Police Force . In addition, ST Kinetics is the sole importer and distributor of MAN Truck & Bus vehicles within Singapore. The automotive services have continued since

12180-402: The US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago , the possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria , Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 , marking

12320-568: The United Kingdom and France guaranteed their support for Polish independence ; when Italy conquered Albania in April 1939, the same guarantee was extended to the Kingdoms of Romania and Greece . Shortly after the Franco - British pledge to Poland, Germany and Italy formalised their own alliance with the Pact of Steel . Hitler accused the United Kingdom and Poland of trying to "encircle" Germany and renounced

12460-489: The United Kingdom attacked on 3   July in an attempt to prevent its seizure by Germany. The air Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . The German campaign for air superiority started in August but its failure to defeat RAF Fighter Command forced the indefinite postponement of the proposed German invasion of Britain . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified with night attacks on London and other cities in

12600-455: The United Kingdom. The Germans turned south against the weakened French army, and Paris fell to them on 14   June. Eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany ; it was divided into German and Italian occupation zones , and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime , which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany. France kept its fleet, which

12740-640: The United States was assisting China and the Western Allies, and had amended the Neutrality Act to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention in

12880-671: The Vikings stay on creating a problem as the Army has no Viking trained drivers. The solution was the RMASG, an expanded unit that could continue to operate the Viking for future roulements, this led to the drivers of the RMASG having one of the highest operational tempos in the forces. On 12 June 2008, the British Ministry of Defence publicly issued a notice stating that "There is a requirement under consideration for an All Terrain Military vehicle that

13020-542: The Warthog and enter service in 2009. The press release further stated that "When the Vikings are brought back from Afghanistan they will be used by the Royal Marines on training exercises". Nevertheless, Viking appears to be the core armoured vehicle for the Royal Marines in the future. 99 Vikings were upgraded with new mine blast protection bodywork and brought back to their original amphibious standard, having been adapted for

13160-590: The Yellow River ; this manoeuvre bought time for the Chinese to prepare their defences at Wuhan , but the city was taken by October. Japanese military victories did not bring about the collapse of Chinese resistance that Japan had hoped to achieve; instead, the Chinese government relocated inland to Chongqing and continued the war. In the mid-to-late 1930s, Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with

13300-402: The breech mechanism provides an effective vent for the trapped air to let the bomb "free-fall" into the barrel. This reduces the projectile's in-bore travel and reportedly allows the 120SRAM to achieve the highest continuous firing rate of up to 18 rounds per minute—3 times faster than a conventional mortar system which can fire up to 6 rounds per minute. Recent product information has indicated

13440-502: The capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese . In March 1938, Nationalist Chinese forces won their first major victory at Taierzhuang , but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by the Japanese in May. In June 1938, Chinese forces stalled the Japanese advance by flooding

13580-403: The conflict well into 1941. In December 1940, Roosevelt accused Hitler of planning world conquest and ruled out any negotiations as useless, calling for the United States to become an " arsenal of democracy " and promoting Lend-Lease programmes of military and humanitarian aid to support the British war effort; Lend-Lease was later extended to the other Allies, including the Soviet Union after it

13720-515: The creation of a " New Roman Empire ". Adolf Hitler , after an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government in 1923, eventually became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichstag appointed him. Following Hindenburg's death in 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer of Germany and abolished democracy, espousing a radical, racially motivated revision of

13860-485: The directive to prepare for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Singapore Technologies Kinetics ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd ( STELS ), formerly known as ST Kinetics , is a strategic business area of ST Engineering and handles land systems and specialty vehicles. In 2000, ST Engineering acquired the Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) through ST Automotive, a subsidiary of ST Engineering, and

14000-739: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. To prevent a future world war, the League of Nations was established in 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference . The organisation's primary goals were to prevent armed conflict through collective security, military, and naval disarmament , as well as settling international disputes through peaceful negotiations and arbitration. Despite strong pacifist sentiment after World War   I , irredentist and revanchist nationalism had emerged in several European states. These sentiments were especially marked in Germany because of

14140-637: The end of May completed the German conquest of the Balkans. Partisan warfare subsequently broke out against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia , which continued until the end of the war. In the Middle East in May, Commonwealth forces quashed an uprising in Iraq which had been supported by German aircraft from bases within Vichy-controlled Syria . Between June and July, British-led forces invaded and occupied

14280-463: The end of the war. World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming

14420-573: The firefighter and other civilian variants of the ATTC under its U.S. subsidiary, Hackney where it is positioned as a disaster recovery vehicle with its ability to access uneven and soft terrains impassable to normal vehicles after earthquakes, floods or other major urban catastrophes. Another commercial variant, the All Terrain Tracked Emergency-Engineering Car 全地形履带式工程抢险, is also under development by its China subsidiary, GJK, in

14560-431: The firing rate at a more modest 10 rounds per minute. The patented Cooling System is able to reduce the temperature that builds up in the barrel quickly to enable continuous firing without blockage. The patented Blast Diffuser reduces the blast overpressure by about 8 to 10 decibels. The 120SRAM is also currently the only system in the world with a recoil of less than 20 tonnes, which allows the 120SRAM to be mounted on board

14700-566: The first step of what its government saw as the country's right to rule Asia , staged the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo . China appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being condemned for its incursion into Manchuria. The two nations then fought several battles, in Shanghai , Rehe and Hebei , until

14840-843: The former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge incident , which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior cooperation with Germany . From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan , engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou , and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan . Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai , but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push Chinese forces back, capturing

14980-512: The invasion of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia ) by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy ( Regno d'Italia ), which was launched from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea . The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia and its annexation into the newly created colony of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , or AOI); in addition it exposed the weakness of

15120-623: The maintenance of the Detroit diesel engines and Allison transmission used in the Bionix as well as to distribute the Detroit Diesel parts in the Asian region. Singapore Commuter was merged with Singapore Airport Services Ltd (SABS Taxi Ltd) and Singapore Bus Service Taxi Pte Ltd (SBS Taxi Pte Ltd) to form CityCab in April 1995. By 1996, CIS through its various subsidiaries were producing various ordnance for

15260-476: The need of wheeled armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) as opposed to tracked AFVs. In 2006, the SAF decided to purchase 135 units to replace their aging V-200 armoured vehicles. The Indonesian Army also indicated plans to purchase 420 units and to produce the Terrex under license locally. The Hunter was jointly developed with Defence Science and Technology Agency , and the Singapore Army . Intended to replace

15400-682: The new company was named ST Kinetics. Given the initial charter of CIS to support the local defence requirements, the main defence customer of ST Kinetics remains as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Besides manufacturing small arms and munitions , some of STELS' key military products include the SAR 21 assault rifle, the Bionix AFV , the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier and the Terrex APC . These weapons and ammunition are often made to

15540-628: The other ST Engineering companies, STELS is part of the Singapore Defence Ecosystem of users, developers and producers in support of the Third Generation SAF. CIS was originally incorporated on 27 January 1967, when it started out by producing ordnance for the SAF. CIS' first product was the 5.56×45mm NATO round; other CIS products include the license-built Colt M16S1 (equivalent to the M16A1), and locally designed weapons such as

15680-497: The permanent members of its security council . The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers , setting the stage for the Cold War . In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia . Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion . World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 with

15820-571: The political European map with the defeat of the Central Powers —including Austria-Hungary , Germany , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire —and the 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , which led to the founding of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the victorious Allies of World War I , such as France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Greece, gained territory, and new nation-states were created out of

15960-583: The port of Tobruk . By late March 1941, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact ; however, the Yugoslav government was overthrown two days later by pro-British nationalists. Germany and Italy responded with simultaneous invasions of both Yugoslavia and Greece , commencing on 6 April 1941; both nations were forced to surrender within the month. The airborne invasion of the Greek island of Crete at

16100-468: The potential in the commercial sector and decided to incorporate SAE Inspection Centre for vehicle inspection and servicing. The following year, Singapore Commuter, a taxi service, was formed. On 20 August 1991, SAE was publicly listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange . In the same year, SAE was renamed Singapore Technologies Automotive (ST Auto). STA Detroit Diesel-Allison was formed to take on

16240-496: The present ST Engineering. In October 1999, ST Engineering acquired CIS at S$ 78 M. ST Auto and CIS were merged in Feb 2000 to form ST Kinetics. The following year, ST Kinetics reorganised itself into 3 divisions, namely Automotive; Munitions and Weapons; and Services, Trading and Others. A series of flagship products were developed by the early 21st century, including the SAR21 assault rifle,

16380-693: The remainder of Czechoslovakia and subsequently split it into the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a pro-German client state , the Slovak Republic . Hitler also delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania on 20 March 1939, forcing the concession of the Klaipėda Region , formerly the German Memelland . Greatly alarmed and with Hitler making further demands on the Free City of Danzig ,

16520-429: The revised announcement will also be sent to the EDA for inclusion in the Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) at that time. On 19 December 2008, the Ministry of Defence announced that 100 Singapore Technologies Kinetics Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier vehicles would be purchased as an Urgent Operational Requirement to replace the Viking vehicles in use in Afghanistan. The new vehicle would be known in British service as

16660-405: The rigours of land operations. In April 2016, a Jane's report stated that the Royal Marines are looking for a replacement for the older Bv 206D vehicles, which will be out of service by 2021. The Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was awarded the 'True Grit: Group' award during the 2008 Sun Military Awards , "For a small unit or group of men or women from any service who have together performed

16800-464: The same year, ST Kinetics established 2 new overseas subsidiaries in Brazil and Myanmar. In July, the company acquired Technicae Projetos e Servicos Automotivos for BRL1.04 million. This acquisition will expand the company's reach into Brazil's growing defence business. Established in November 2013, the wholly owned subsidiary, Kinetics Automotive & Specialty Equipment Co., Ltd (KASE) was set up in Yangon, Myanmar. This Myanmar subsidiary will serve as

16940-473: The shortest bullpup rifle in the world with a 14.5-inch barrel, the BMCR provides ease and comfort for soldiers to manipulate in tight spaces. The BMCR is designed to fire NATO SS109 5.56mm ammunition and ST Kinetics' Extended Range 5.56mm ammunition, and come standard with MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny Rails at the three, six, nine and 12 o’clock positions. The rifle is fully ambidextrous and possesses flexibility for assault, marksman and suppressive roles. The weapon

17080-410: The significant territorial, colonial, and financial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles . Under the treaty, Germany lost around 13 percent of its home territory and all its overseas possessions , while German annexation of other states was prohibited, reparations were imposed, and limits were placed on the size and capability of the country's armed forces . The German Empire was dissolved in

17220-447: The start or prelude to World War II. The exact date of the war's end also is not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 15 August 1945 ( V-J Day ), rather than with the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, which officially ended the war in Asia . A peace treaty between Japan and the Allies was signed in 1951. A 1990 treaty regarding Germany's future allowed

17360-415: The strong Maginot Line fortifications on the Franco-German border, Germany directed its attack at the neutral nations of Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The Germans carried out a flanking manoeuvre through the Ardennes region, which was mistakenly perceived by the Allies as an impenetrable natural barrier against armoured vehicles. By successfully implementing new Blitzkrieg tactics,

17500-401: The three, six, nine and 12 o’clock positions. The CPW is a lightweight, multi-caliber Submachine Gun (SMG)/ Personal Defence Weapon (PDW) for Close Quarters Combat (CQB/CQC) operations as well as engagements up to 150m. The CPW is available in 9mm Parabellum (9×19mm NATO) caliber for now and "resembles an updated/modernized MP7A1 ". The main differences are the angled pistol grip of

17640-415: The two wars became World War II in 1941. Other proposed starting dates for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War   II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939. Others view the Spanish Civil War as

17780-427: The unsuccessful American "Dover Devil GPHMG" programme, to create a modular weapon suited for modern tactical doctrines and production techniques. They succeeded and in 1988, CIS introduced the new machine gun and simply named it as the "CIS 50MG". The SAF used the 50MG in its infantry regiments and as a mounted weapon on armoured vehicles and naval craft. The STK 50MG is a gas-operated, air-cooled, belt-fed weapon. It has

17920-407: The war were not fulfilled in the peace settlement. From 1922 to 1925, the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy with a nationalist, totalitarian , and class collaborationist agenda that abolished representative democracy, repressed socialist, left-wing, and liberal forces, and pursued an aggressive expansionist foreign policy aimed at making Italy a world power, promising

18060-475: The war. Germany annexed western Poland and occupied central Poland ; the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland ; small shares of Polish territory were transferred to Lithuania and Slovakia . On 6 October, Hitler made a public peace overture to the United Kingdom and France but said that the future of Poland was to be determined exclusively by Germany and the Soviet Union. The proposal was rejected and Hitler ordered an immediate offensive against France, which

18200-404: The west halted the German advance for several days, but it was outflanked and encircled by the Wehrmacht . Remnants of the Polish army broke through to besieged Warsaw . On 17 September 1939, two days after signing a cease-fire with Japan , the Soviet Union invaded Poland under the supposed pretext that the Polish state had ceased to exist. On 27 September, the Warsaw garrison surrendered to

18340-483: The world order , and soon began a massive rearmament campaign . France, seeking to secure its alliance with Italy, allowed Italy a free hand in Ethiopia , which Italy desired as a colonial possession. The situation was aggravated in early 1935 when the Territory of the Saar Basin was legally reunited with Germany, and Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, accelerated his rearmament programme, and introduced conscription. The United Kingdom, France and Italy formed

18480-439: The world's countries —including all the great powers —participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war , blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles , with the latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II

18620-554: Was invaded by Germany. The United States started strategic planning to prepare for a full-scale offensive against Germany. At the end of September 1940, the Tripartite Pact formally united Japan, Italy, and Germany as the Axis powers . The Tripartite Pact stipulated that any country—with the exception of the Soviet Union—that attacked any Axis Power would be forced to go to war against all three. The Axis expanded in November 1940 when Hungary , Slovakia , and Romania joined. Romania and Hungary later made major contributions to

18760-432: Was organized into a headquarters, two support batteries each of three troops armed with four Landing Vehicle Tracked - the (A)-4 variant with a 75 mm howitzer -, one rocket battery of three troops of four LVT (R) and one flank battery of two troops of five LVT (F). This regiment was disbanded in 1948. The modern Royal Marines Armoured Support Group was formed from the Royal Marines Armoured Support Company (Afghanistan) and

18900-403: Was postponed until the spring of 1940 due to bad weather. After the outbreak of war in Poland, Stalin threatened Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania with military invasion, forcing the three Baltic countries to sign pacts allowing the creation of Soviet military bases in these countries; in October 1939, significant Soviet military contingents were moved there. Finland refused to sign

19040-473: Was renamed as the BR18, is scheduled to be in production by 2018. The 5.56mm Conventional Multirole Combat Rifle (CMCR) was released during the Singapore Airshow 2014. Equipped with a unique adjustable and foldable buttstock, the CMCR provides ease and comfort for soldiers to manipulate in tight spaces. The CMCR is designed to fire NATO SS109 5.56mm ammunition and ST Kinetics' Extended Range 5.56mm ammunition, and come standard with MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny Rails at

19180-657: Was repulsed with heavy Italian casualties; the campaign ended within months with minor territorial changes. To assist Italy and prevent Britain from gaining a foothold, Germany prepared to invade the Balkans, which would threaten Romanian oil fields and strike against British dominance of the Mediterranean. In December 1940, British Empire forces began counter-offensives against Italian forces in Egypt and Italian East Africa . The offensives were successful; by early February 1941, Italy had lost control of eastern Libya, and large numbers of Italian troops had been taken prisoner. The Italian Navy also suffered significant defeats, with

19320-441: Was required to go through the bureaucracy of the League of Nations, which rendered it essentially toothless. The United States, concerned with events in Europe and Asia, passed the Neutrality Act in August of the same year. Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno Treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936, encountering little opposition due to the policy of appeasement . In October 1936, Germany and Italy formed

19460-480: Was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths , more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides , including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany , Austria , Japan , and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders . The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in

19600-500: Was the first local armoured fighting vehicle , designed and developed by ST Kinetics. It is a medium-weight tracked vehicle, weighing between twenty-two and twenty-eight tonnes, to replace the aging M-113A2 armoured personnel carriers. The Bionix was commissioned by the SAF in September 1997 and operated under the 42nd Battalion of the Singapore Armoured Regiment ( 42 SAR ). During the commissioning parade in July 1999, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Dr Tony Tan, declared

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