JERUDONG, Friday 8 July 2011 – The signing of supply contracts and a service level agreement between the Ministry of Defence and various companies, both local and foreign, in conjunction with BRIDEX 2011 was held today at The Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition (BRIDEX) Conference Hall.
The Ministry of Defence awarded three contracts to Force-21 Equipment Pte Ltd from Singapore to supply the Royal Brunei Armed Forces with Pixelated Camouflage Combat Uniform, Chest Webbing (CAV) and Bergen for a period of two to three years. The combat effectiveness coupled with the need to equip today’s soldier for tomorrow’s operations are the driving principle for the development of the new RBAF combat uniform and the associated combat soldiers’ personal equipment.
In this era of rapid technological advancement and the ever changing operational landscape, there is a need for RBAF to equip its soldiers with the right system to stay relevant and achieve combat effectiveness. This new RBAF Pixelated/Digital Camouflage combat uniform, with the use of the Digital Disruptive Pattern (D2P) to replace the existing Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM) was first introduced during the RBAF Golden Jubilee on 31st May 2011. The design of the Pixelated Camouflage combat uniform is based on the functionality of today’s combat soldier whilst the pixelated pattern design and fabric technology specifically suits Brunei’s topography and RBAF’s operational environments. The new pixelated camouflage combat uniform and the associated equipment mark another development in enhancing the Combat Soldier System and achieving overall combat effectiveness. This transformational effort is aimed to realize the enhancement of the combat soldier system as specified in the Defence White Paper Update 2007.
The Ministry of Defence also signed a Service Level Agreement with the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) in relation to the usage of the premises for the establishment of the National Modeling and Simulation Centre (NMSC) which includes the maintenance and services of the NMSC premises located at the Knowledge Hub in Anggerek Desa, Brunei Darussalam. The Knowledge Hub together with the I-Centre aims to be the centre of excellence for nurturing and developing successful entrepreneurs in the information, communication and technology (ICT) and as such is an ideal location for the NMSC.
The NMSC System will provide the RBAF and MINDEF with a facility to aid decision making in respect to Force Development, Force preparedness and overall capability enhancement. The NMSC will enable MINDEF to conduct gap analysis of existing systems and assess alternatives to improve Brunei’s existing defence systems and services to meet the goals and objectives of the country’s Defence White Paper.
Although the primary user of the NMSC will initially be MINDEF, the facility will be used by other government agencies and bodies to conduct Research & Development studies, experimentation and training in their respective areas. Being one of the first of its kind in the region, the Centre will also enhance regional cooperation once its use is expanded to other countries and regional bodies.
Also during the event, Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sikorsky Helitech for the intention to collaborate on 500hours Maintenance Services for 4 Blackhawks of the Royal Brunei Air Force and a contract with several local Parang Producers to make handmade Parangs for specific Government agencies.
