SINGAPORE — By year's end, soldiers in all army combat units will receive "hybrid" dual-fabric uniforms, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Tuesday (June 19).

The new uniform is fire-resistant, absorbs sweat quickly and dries 0.6 times faster than the SAF's standard camouflage uniform.

It melds high-performance fabric with the tougher pixelised fabric of the standard uniform (also known as the No 4), and has a porous construction that allows air to flow through for better circulation.

The SAF said the hybrid uniform is meant to complement the No 4, and not replace it. It will be worn during combat exercises and field training.

Soldiers will continue to don their No 4 uniform for other routine activities.

Distribution of the hybrid uniforms began in January. So far, soldiers from the 3rd and 6th Battalions, Singapore Infantry Regiment (SIR) have been fully equipped with two pieces each. Some soldiers from the 4th Battalion, SIR also received the new uniforms this week.

There are no plans to roll it out to operationally ready national servicemen as the No 4 uniform still meets their needs during in-camp training, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said.

The uniform, conceptualised in 2011 for the army, is meant to be worn underneath soldiers' integrated load bearing vest, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Yee Kok Meng, 43, head of the SAF's Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance.

It dissipates heat quicker and enables soldiers to hold out longer and perform better during operations and training. The uniform is meant to prevent chafing, said SLTC Yee.

The uniform's fabric is composed of flame-resistant synthetic materials and aramid, Mindef said. Aramid yields strong fibres that are resistant to high temperatures.

With "self-extinguishing abilities", the fabric does not melt or drip when exposed to extreme heat, Mindef added.

Aside from absorbing sweat and drying quickly, it provides better circulation, allowing air to flow through at a rate 1.4 times that of the No 4 uniform.

The SAF decided to equip army combat units with the new hybrid uniform because of their "physically demanding and onerous mission profiles", said Mindef.

Private Kugan Senivasan, 18, a trooper with 4 SIR, was among those who received his hybrid uniform on Tuesday.

The full-time national serviceman liked that it helped to absorb sweat. "I think it's very beneficial when we go for outfield training," he said.

Compared with the No 4 uniform, the hybrid uniform is "rather smooth and comfortable" to wear during strenuous exercise, said Private Kugan, adding that he felt a "genuine difference" donning it for physical activity.

The acquisition process for the new uniform involved the Defence Science and Technology Agency, logistics provider ST Logistics and Headquarters Supply, among other agencies.

This included crafting the technical specifications and ensuring that the quality of the product fulfilled the SAF's requirements.