TOTAL DEFENCE ON LAND, AIR AND SEA

Thrilling display of how Singapore tackles external threats and handles crises at home

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Intrusions from the air and sea, a cyber-security breach causing havoc, and water disruptions that required responses from the Singapore Armed Forces and other government agencies.

These were some of the simulated threats to Singapore's physical and digital realms that were tackled during the Total Defence 40 dynamic defence display at the National Day Parade at the Padang on Aug 9.

The showcase - which also marked 40 years of Total Defence began soon after the guard of honour contingent marched out.

Two pairs of Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16 fighter jets roared over the Padang, simulating the interception of an unknown aircraft violating Singapore's airspace, with a pair of Spyder ground-based air defence systems neutralising the air threat.

Two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters then swooped over the Padang in the fading daylight, supporting naval divers from the Republic of Singapore Navy in a simulatdemonstration of air-sea ed integration.

The divers from the Naval Diving Unit had been activated to investigate and neutralise an "explosive device" discarded in the water by "intruders" on a black speedboat.