SINGAPORE — Against the backdrop of a growing terror threat, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is conducting a series of blast tests on an offshore island to assess protective technologies that can cope with the aftermath of a suicide bombing situation or a suitcase bomb.

The exercise, named Explosive Testing of Structural Components (ETSC), started on Monday and is being conducted at Pulau Senang over a two-week period. It covers five test areas that feature fibre-reinforced polymer retrofitted walls and steel-reinforced walls, among others. 

Together with the Defence Ministry and Singapore Armed Forces officials, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen toured the site on Wednesday and witnessed a blast test being carried out on a reinforced concrete wall and brick wall.  

A 100kg bare charge was set off 1.6m away from these walls, which saw concrete and bricks crumbling from the force of the blast. However, prior tests showed that the same walls — after being lined with fibre-reinforced polymer — were 2.5 times more resistant to blast effects, and were still largely intact after the bombing. 

^{Above: Combination (from top left to right; bottom left to right) shows a controlled bomb blast being conducted by DSTA. Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY}

Explaining how these technologies could be applied outside military zones, Mr Lee Eng Hua, director of DSTA’s Building and Infrastructure Programme Centre, said: “(Improvised explosive devices) are threats that are coming at us. (The fibre-reinforced polymer) is a good way to retrofit old buildings that might not be built as strong previously. The alternative is to make the wall thicker, but with existing buildings, some might not be possible.”

Another test was also done to assess the effects of fitting a steel jacket on a reinforced concrete column, typically found in high-rise buildings. 

The impact of a bomb blast on a column without a steel jacket was drastic: The concrete surface and the internal structure bars were blown off. 

On the other hand, damage to the retrofitted column was contained. 

DSTA researchers also blew up a building, meant to simulate a five-room flat or a small office, to gather data on the blast effects and resulting debris. 

Tests results will be put through modelling and simulation software to predict weapon effects on buildings and other critical assets.

Mr Lee said: “With the models, we are able to predict vulnerabilities of buildings and critical assets more accurately and efficiently. The models also allow us to evaluate a wider range of scenarios, while reducing the frequency of explosive tests.”

This has been the sixth testing exercise so far, since the DSTA started conducting large-scale tests in 1994. Before this, it had collaborated with research agencies in Norway, Sweden and the United States to conduct other large-scale trials on protective technologies for counter-terrorism and ammunition storage.

In a Facebook post on Thursday (18 May), Dr Ng said that the information collected from the exercise would provide the authorities with better options in building public houses: “This information will be used to build homes and bomb shelters that can better protect civilians. For example, using better design and materials, bomb shelters can have thinner walls or shorter set-backs (zoning restrictions) and yet remain just as survivable.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the blast test was set off 1.6km away from a reinforced concrete wall and brick wall. The correct distance is 1.6m. We apologise for the error.

SINGAPORE: Come November, the hills will be alive with the sound of music. And if your child can carry a tune like do-re-mi, they might have a chance to be part of it. 

The search is on for 18 children in Singapore to play the roles of the six younger von Trapp children in the local run of West End production The Sound of Music, production company Base Entertainment Asia said in a press release on Thursday (May 18). 

The Sound of Music, which had its first Broadway run in 1959, remains one of the most well-loved musicals in the world and some of its songs such as My Favourite Things, Edelweiss and Do-Re-Mi are considered classics. A 1965 film adaptation of the musical, starring Julie Andrews in the lead role, is also iconic in its own right. 

The musical tells the story of Maria, a fun-loving governess who changes the lives of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his seven children by re-introducing them to music, culminating in the family’s escape across the Austrian mountains as tensions rise prior to the outbreak of World War II.

To play the roles of Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta and Gretl, auditioning children must fit the below criteria: 

The children are expected to have a “good level of skill” in acting, singing (including singing with harmonies) and dancing, Base Entertainment said. They should be between the ages of six and 14, and all nationalities are welcome. 

The auditions will be held at the MasterCard Theatres, Marina Bay Sands from May 26 to 28, with pre-registration sessions on May 22 and May 23. Those interested are required to complete an online form. 

Tickets for the show, which will run from Nov 7, will go on sale later this month.