Experience NS for a day: Ride military vehicles, shoot your shot and more at Army Open House

What does one do in National Service (NS) exactly? It might be more than you think.

You can get a glimpse of it this weekend at the Army Open House that's making a comeback after five years. Themed "Generations of Strength", the event commemorates 55 years of NS. 

The event will open to the public at the F1 Pit Building from May 28 to 30, and features a myriad of zones and interactive activities, with something for everyone.

AsiaOne got the opportunity to check out the event at a media preview on Tuesday (May 24) and here's our list of the highlights.

Go on battle rides

Ever wondered what it's like being in a military vehicle? Then this activity is perfect for you.

Enjoy a battle ride on five different Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) vehicles ranging from the eight-wheeled carrier vehicle Terrex, armoured tracked carrier Bionix, six-wheeled carrier vehicle PRV, M3G military raft and Chinook helicopter CH-47SD.

Lucky us, we got to see what's inside a Terrex.

As it moved around the event area, we had an immersive 'battleground experience' — we heard audio tracks of guns firing and commands in the background.

We also hopped on the M3G military raft which took us on a cruise around the Marina Bay area.

As we took in the sights of Marina Bay Sands, ArtScience Museum and the Singapore Flyer, we found the cool breeze incredibly refreshing on a hot day.

All battle rides come with safety precautions and experienced personnel will be with you at all times. But if you're prone to motion sickness or do not have good balance, these rides may not be suitable for you. To take part in this activity, you'd need to be at least 1.2m tall and also make an on-site booking.

Be a marksman

We got our hands on some rifles and put our shooting skills to the test (not with real bullets though).

You can give Singapore's very own SAR 21 rifles a try at the firing range. Aside from the individual firing range, you can also engage in some five-on-five combat with laser guns. 

Interested? Don't forget to make a booking on-site.

Experience the night

Every NSman knows the difficulties of outfield camps and if you've never been to one, here's your chance to "see" what it's like.

Grab four friends and navigate the jungle in complete darkness.

Designed to elicit your senses, you'd walk through a 40-metre path wearing just a pair of night-vision goggles and rely on your natural instincts to complete two missions. Don't worry, there'll be two guides to help you along the way.

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Zones

Give your kids a taste of Singapore's military experience

If you're visiting the Army Open House with children in tow, don't miss the kid's zone.

We didn't get to unleash our inner child there but we heard that there's a mini obstacle course, balloon sculpting and even face painting (with camo cream) for the kids! And that's just the beginning.

The young ones can also dress up in virtual army uniforms or enjoy the mini campsite and jungle maze in the zone.

Flex your own drone

If you have your own drone but can't find a place to fly it, take part in the event's custom indoor drone course, and even compete with others in groups of two to five people at a time. But make sure your drone weighs less than 250g! 

You'd need to book a slot-on site before you can fly your drone there.

See the future of SAF 

Here, you'd get a glimpse of the future battle arena with help of different technologies from the army and its defence partners.

One such tech advancement is the quadrupedal unmanned ground vehicle — essentially a robotic dog — that we used to navigate through a mini course.

There are several other mechanics you can try, including a crane operator virtual reality trainer, and a casualty evacuation robot.

Exhibitions, obstacle courses and more await

If you thought that was the end of the event, you're mistaken. Yes, there's more.

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The Army Open House also has exhibitions, an obstacle course, the NS family camp, a live band and dance performances, close combat display, formation airtime as well as stage games lined up for visitors.

We recommend checking out Our Army Showcase which includes a day showcase and a night showcase.

Watch the Red Lions performing parachute jumps and catch a street parade this weekend at 10am. And when evening comes, enjoy a pyrotechnics display (May 28 to 30), military tattoo by the SAF Band as well as performances by So Drama! Entertainment (May 30). 

There's also an NS55 Army Showcase where you can check out an experiential exhibit to learn about the evolution and achievements of NS.

If you can't make it to the Army Open House at the F1 Pit Building, fret not!

The event will move to the heartlands — Punggol from June 3 to 5, and Bishan from June 10 to 12.

shanmugap@asiaone.com
estherlam@asiaone.com