SINGAPORE - After a one-year suspension, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is holding a scaled-down Exercise Wallaby this year (2021) - traditionally its largest overseas exercise - amid ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. About 580 troops are in Queensland, Australia, for the exercise held from Sept 13 to Thursday (Oct 21) that marked the debut of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's upgraded Chinook helicopters which were delivered this year. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said on Wednesday (Oct 20) the SAF conducted large-scale, coordinated missions to "strengthen air-land-sea integration" during the unilateral exercise at Shoalwater Bay Training Area. These included live-firing by AH-64D Apache helicopters, air-drop missions from a C-130 transport aircraft and ship-to-shore exercises. There was also deck-landing operations by the new CH-47F Chinook helicopters, and replenishment drills by Endurance-class landing ship tank RSS Endeavour. Colonel Sherman Ong, 44, who is the exercise's air director, said efforts were made to ensure the risks of Covid-19 are mitigated. Some units from the army and air force had to be withdrawn as part of "right-sizing efforts" during planning earlier this year, he said. The range of mission types conducted also had to be reduced given the smaller number of participating units. "That being said, our focus to make the best use of the training area and vast airspace that we have here in Shoalwater Bay remains," he told reporters via teleconference on Tuesday (Oct 19). "This year's exercise is important in that it ensured that our overall familiarity and experience levels specific to the training area does not drop too significantly for subsequent editions of the exercise." Covid-19 safety measures taken include having all participants be fully vaccinated, doing pre- and post-deployment swab tests, and following a controlled itinerary in Australia to minimise interaction with the local population. Past editions of the annual exercise, pre-pandemic, involved up to 4,000 troops and hundreds of platforms, lasting up to two months. Mindef said the training area - with a land area about four times the size of Singapore - allows the SAF to conduct large-scale integrated training across all three services to exercise its range of capabilities and maintain training currency for its units. A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) AH-64D Apache helicopter taking off for live-firing exercises as part of Exercise Wallaby 2021. PHOTO: MINDEF For Col Ong, a Super Puma helicopter pilot by training, the highlight of the exercise was seeing the new CH-47Fs in action for the first time. He called it a significant milestone for the helicopter community and the air force. The CH-47F is a heavy-lift helicopter with a fully integrated digital cockpit management system and advanced cargo handling capabilities, he noted. The RSAF’s CH-47F Chinook helicopter taking off from the Republic of Singapore Navy's RSS Endeavour with a land rover as part of a replenishment serial during Exercise Wallaby. PHOTO: MINDEF "These features, coupled with capabilities such as an enhanced self-protection suite and satellite communications systems, will enable it to better meet the SAF's lift requirements." The air force said in a Facebook post in May that the CH-47F will be delivered first to the Oakey Detachment in Australia. It is expected to be able to undertake a wide range of operations, including search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. Mindef added that the resumption of Exercise Wallaby this year was testament to the trust and cooperation between the Singapore and Australian armed forces, as well as the close and long-standing bilateral defence relations between the two countries. More on this topic Related Story FPDA militaries conduct drill with 2,600 troops; first such exercise since pandemic Related Story S'pore navy holds 'contactless' drill with Malaysian counterpart in Malacca Strait
KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 5, 2021 - (ACN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Main Market-listed Central Global Berhad (CGB) has proposed a private placement of up to 18 million new shares representing not more than 20% of the Group's total number of issued shares to qualified third-party investors to be identified at a later date.Central Global Berhad’s factory in Sungai Petani, KedahCGB is a manufacturer of specialised industrial tapes and label stocks that pioneered industrial hi-temp masking tapes manufacturing and is a one-stop solution provider for crepe paper masking. The Group's other business is construction, where it is currently mostly active in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia.The proposed placement may be implemented in several tranches within six months from the date of approval from Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad ("Bursa Securities"), with there being potentially several price-fixing dates and issue prices of the placement shares to be determined separately and fixed by the Board of Directors of CGB after the approval from Bursa Securities. These new shares[1] will carry the same rights as the existing issued shares.The proceeds from the private placement will be used for a new masking tape coater production line, funding for an existing construction project, working capital and, estimated expenses related to the private placement exercise. The Group's Board of Directors have laid out plans to fortify the manufacturing business while at the same time expand the construction business through more contracts.CGB executive chairman Dato' Faisal Zelman said, "The private placement exercise is in line with our plans for the production of masking tapes in the Group's manufacturing business. We want to focus on keeping critical production volumes up, undertake efforts to drive efficiencies in production that can minimise wastage as well as ensure consistency in product quality, which is key to recurring orders especially for our export orders.""We are also using the proceeds to fund a project in Pulau Pinang from our construction business. We were awarded this project in January 2020 and work commenced in July 2020. We will continue to undertake construction projects and have tendered for several projects. A portion of the proceeds from the private placement exercise will also be used for working capital purposes as well as accelerating future business expansion."TA Securities Holdings Berhad has been appointed the advisor and the placement agent for the proposed private placement.[1] Such new shares will not be entitled to any dividends, rights, allotments and/or any other distributions which may be declared, made or paid to the Company's shareholders unless such new shares were allotted and issued on or before the entitlement date of such rights, allotments and/or other distributions.For more information, please contact:Hakim JuraimiTel: +60 12-318 5410Email: h.juraimi@swanconsultancy.biz Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. (via SEAPRWire)