NDP 2025: Leopard tank that hit traffic light to return to mobile column after fault identified
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef), in a statement on July 11 after the Singapore Army concluded its investigations into the matter, said the incident happened because an internal component within the transmission had malfunctioned. This resulted in a loss of transmission oil pressure, causing the tank to experience a partial loss in its steering and braking power.
The tank was found to have sustained no major damage and the traffic light has since been repaired.
The cause of the malfunction was traced to a failure in the channel taking the transmission fluid to the service brake, Mindef added.
The tank operator, a full-time national serviceman, responded according to standard procedures and activated the parking brake to bring the vehicle to a stop.
The Leopard 2SG main battle tank, which features in the NDP mobile column, hit a traffic light on July 5 while making a turn near Parliament House and the Supreme Court.
The incident took place at about 7.20pm in North Bridge Road, just after the mobile column segment of the show had ended. The tank was moving within the 20kmh speed limit inside a cordoned area, and no injuries were reported.
The next day, Mindef said the vehicle had experienced a technical issue which resulted in the accident.
In video footage of the incident, put up later that day on the SGRV Facebook page, the tank can be seen making a right turn before hitting the traffic light, leaving it slightly askew.
The clip was widely watched online, racking up nearly half a million views overnight. Several people online speculated that the cause could be a mechanical fault, including a possible steering issue.
Preliminary findings on July 8 said a "faulty component" caused the tank to lose both steering and braking power.
Colonel David Kwek, co-chairman of the NDP 2025 Heartland Celebrations Committee, said the issue was linked to "an isolated component" in the Leopard 2SG, and that safety checks are ongoing.
Mindef, on July 11, said this is the first time the army has experienced such a fault in its Leopard 2SG fleet. The affected tank underwent standard checks before deployment and no issues were detected.
The ministry said: "Comprehensive checks performed across the L2SG fleet since the incident have determined that it was an isolated one."
Renk, the German manufacturer of the tank's transmission system, said the malfunction had not previously occurred in its systems. It will work with the army to establish a maintenance regime for the affected component.
All transmissions in the fleet have since been verified to be in good working order.
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