Singapore’s top defence innovation award, the Defence Technology Prize (DTP), has  been awarded to three teams transforming the way the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) trains and operates.

Among the winners is the 15-member team behind SAFTI City, the country’s next-generation urban combat training complex.

Developed with the support from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Engineering, the project earned the DTP Engineering Award for immersing soldiers in the realities of dense urban warfare.

Modelled after a densely populated cityscape, SAFTI City features both low- and high-rise buildings, multiple access points, interconnected structures, and subterranean spaces. It also includes an integrated transport hub comprising mock MRT platforms, a bus interchange, and an office complex.

Additional structures include a community centre, school, shopping malls, and hotels, while collapsed roofs and walls replicate damaged infrastructure for disaster-relief and post-conflict training.

The facility can host six company-level exercises with around 600 soldiers, and two battalion-level missions with up to 1,200 troops — providing a scalable platform for realistic and dynamic combat training.

Covering 17 hectares (42 acres), the complex is fitted with approximately 11,000 sensors, enabling real-time tracking of troop and vehicle movements. Soldiers equipped with the laser-based Tactical Engagement System can simulate building-to-building combat, while an integrated sound system recreates battlefield noise for added immersion.

Post-mission analytics and performance metrics provide actionable feedback and introduce a layer of gamification to sustain engagement and enhance learning outcomes.

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