Red Lions and naval divers join forces for Jump of Unity at Singapore's NDP 2025
It was not a bird, nor was it a plane, but naval diver Lim Chee Seng free-falling from about 1,830m in full operational gear in the early evening of July 5.
First Warrant Officer (1WO) Lim was followed by six other naval divers, who leapt from a H225M medium-lift helicopter in turn, before deploying their parachutes and landing together in the waters of Marina Bay.
Following that splashdown, a team of seven Red Lions leapt out of a C-130 Hercules aircraft from a height of about 3,050m above the Esplanade and glided into their signature ring free-fall formation.
At about 2,135m above ground, they executed a 'bomb burst' manoeuvre. This move, which looks like a flower opening up, allows the Singapore Armed Forces' parachutists to distance themselves from one another to deploy their parachutes safely.
The free-fall displays together form the Jump of Unity – a new offering in the pre-parade segment for National Day Parade (NDP) 2025, which was showcased at the second National Education (NE) Show on July 5.
The Jump of Unity on Singapore's 60th birthday will be the first time the two parachute teams will land at separate venues at the NDP.
The jump culminates in a combined salute by the naval divers from a small floating platform in Marina Bay and the Red Lions in front of the NDP audience at the Padang, where the perennial crowd favourites touch down.
A Red Lion preparing to land in the Padang during the Jump of Unity at the second National Education Show for National Day Parade on July 5. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
In addition to the second NE Show on July 5, the parachutists have performed this special jump at the NDP combined rehearsals on June 14, 21 and 28. The actual NDP will be held at the Padang and Marina Bay on Aug 9.
Executing the combined salute from separate locations is one of the biggest challenges of the Jump of Unity and requires close coordination between the naval divers and the Red Lions, said 1WO Lim, who leads the naval divers' team of seven for NDP 2025.
The 45-year-old, who was part of the naval divers' maiden free-fall jump at the NDP in 2018, said that after landing in Marina Bay, his team has about six minutes to remove their parachutes and board the floating platform to get into position for the salute.
The naval divers and Red Lions have personnel at the Padang and Marina Bay who communicate with the show centre to synchronise their salute timing.
Precise coordination comes into play even before the parachutists jump from the aircraft, as Staff Sergeant Kristian Jeremiah Joseph from the Republic of Singapore Air Force attested to.
The 28-year-old aircrew specialist on the H225M medium-lift helicopter uses hand signals to relay information between the pilots and the naval divers, such as wind conditions and how much time there is before the helicopter reaches their jump point.
He said: 'When the jumpers want to jump, they will indicate with the hand signal (to show) they are ready... We will then relay these communications over to the pilots, who will then give the executive call for the jump to proceed.'
To prepare for their NDP jumps, the naval divers and Red Lions have conducted several practice jumps at airbases in Singapore from April.
Both teams meet weekly to discuss contingencies and safety precautions, 1WO Lim said.
They also trained in an indoor wind tunnel at iFly Singapore on Sentosa that simulates skydiving.
While the Red Lions perform a showcase jump, wearing lightweight jumpsuits for the Jump of Unity, the naval divers do an operational jump while carrying about 60kg of operational gear.
At a media event at iFly Singapore on June 24, 1WO Lim demonstrated free-fall training in the wind tunnel in full gear.
'This iFly simulator allows us to practise our stability and our mobility drills to give us confidence in this phase of the jump,' he said.
For the Red Lions' NDP 2025 team lead Chew Eng Seng, this will be his fifth NDP as a Red Lion – and it holds added significance as it marks SG60, Singapore's 60th year of independence.
Master Warrant Officer Chew, 50, who has clocked over 1,000 jumps, said: 'The most exciting part... would be the landing. As you are coming down to land, you can actually hear the cheers and the roar from the spectators sitting at the Padang.'
Everyone on his team has each made an average of 500 to 1,000 jumps. The naval divers declined to reveal the number of jumps they have done.
Ong Rui Heng, 11, who was at the Padang for the second NE Show, was left in awe by the free-fall display of the Red Lions and naval divers.
The Primary 5 pupil from Nan Chiau Primary School said: 'They can control their parachute (well) and come at different angles. They look so experienced.'
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