By David Boey, DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
ONCE feared machines of war, 16 SM1 light tanks are now going in very much the opposite direction - becoming a work of art.
They have been melted down and cast into 7,000 tiles to fashion a special exhibit at the new Army Museum, scheduled to be opened later this year.
The steel tiles will carry words describing the seven virtues - including discipline, leadership and fighting spirit - which the army believes all soldiers here should live by.
They will be bolted onto two walls at the museum now being built at the Safti Military Institute in Upper Jurong Road, said Army Museum project head Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Liow.
The project marks the first time a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) war machine is being transformed into a work of art.
On Oct 31 last year, the 40-year-old derelict tanks - acquired from different countries since 1969 - were taken to steel-maker NatSteel's yard in Tuas.
First, reusable equipment such as the fire control system, engine and transmission, signal sets and fuel tanks were removed.
Too big to be chucked whole into the smelting furnace, each tank's hull, turret and 75mm gun barrel were cut into smaller pieces by workers armed with blowtorches.
Soon afterwards, the tiles emerged, each weighing 5kg and measuring 25.5cm by 25.5cm.
Now, they are ready for display at the Army Museum, which will showcase the SAF's history using exhibits such as photographs, documents and weapons displays.
The SM1s are gradually being phased out and will be replaced in a few years' time by 66 German-made Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks.
Brigadier-General Wong Ann Chai, Chief Armour Officer, was among the senior armour officers, past and present, who witnessed the SM1 tanks being cut up last October.
He said: 'By decommissioning and smelting down the first batch of the SM1 tanks, we are freeing up capacity for new things to come.
'Without this, we would not be able to move to the next step, with more future systems to come. It is a very dignified and sentimental day for us and also means a new beginning.'
While it has not been revealed exactly how many SM1 tanks Singapore has, The Military Balance - an annual directory of the world's armed forces published by London's International Institute for Strategic Studies - estimates the number to be 300.
