The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) commissioned the Paramount Marauder on 25 November 2016, this new platform known locally as the Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle (PCSV). The Belrex platform was developed for the SAF by the Defence Science and Technology Agency and ST Kinetics.

The Belrex Protected Combat Support Vehicle (PCSV) provides motorised infantry combat support and combat service support forces with improved firepower, protection and situational awareness to enhance their survivability. This will enhance the Army’s precision maneuver capabilities. The Belrex PCSV will ultimately replace most of the five-tonne trucks and MB290 vehicles of the motorised forces.

Equipped with a 7.62mm Remote Machine Gun operated from within the cabin, soldiers are protected from exposure to hostile fires.

Unlike conventional soft-skinned vehicles such as the five-tonne trucks and MB290 vehicles, the Belrex PCSV has small arms fire and mine protection features, providing soldiers with localised close proximity protection to fulfil operational requirements.

The onboard C4 (Command, Control, Communications and Computers) suite of systems allow rapid information exchange with all friendly forces, increasing command and control as well as survivability on the battlefield. The recently commissioned Army Battlefield Internet will allow the Belrex PCSV and Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles to operate on a common network, enabling the Army’s motorised infantry forces to fight together in an integrated manner.

The Belrex PCSV can carry a payload of up to 4,000kg. This allows it to be configured to carry modular loads such as the battalion casualty stations and combat supplies for different combat support and combat service support functions.

With ten variants, the Belrex PCSV can be configured for a wide range of missions to provide close proximity support to the infantry forces. The ten variants are:

• combat engineer

• fuel

• logistics

• maintenance

• medical

• mortar

• mortar ammunition carrier

• security

• signal

• reconnaissance

Each variant is customised with different features to fulfil the different roles, with seating capacities varying from four to ten (including vehicle commander and driver). For instance, the logistics variants are equipped with shelves to carry stores to resupply the combat forces and as a result, have smaller cabins to accommodate the larger rear cargo area; the signal variants are equipped with antenna mast to establish communication links.