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Armoured vehicles1997 – present
Infantry fighting vehicle
Bionix (family of armoured fighting vehicles) is a infantry fighting vehicle originating in Singapore. It was built by Singapore Technologies Automotive (formerly) ST Kinetics (formerly) ST Engineering. Reported operators include Singapore Army.
SingaporeBionix (family of armoured fighting vehicles)
Jonathan G. Seow H. C. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗ · ModifiedInfantry fighting vehicle
Singapore
1997 – present
Singapore Army
Defence Material Organisation of the Ministry of Defence (Singapore) Singapore Technologies Automotive
1988
Singapore Technologies Automotive (formerly) ST Kinetics (formerly) ST Engineering
1996 – present
800
See variants
Combat weight: 23 tonnes (25 short tons; 23 long tons)
5.9 metres (19 ft 4 in)
2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
3 (Commander, Gunner, Driver) plus 7 combat troops (2 men turret version) 9 combat troops (40/50 version)
MEXAS-M
Bionix 25: M242 Bushmaster 25 mm Cannon Bionix II: Mk44 Bushmaster II 30 mm Cannon
7.62×51mm NATO Commander's MG 7.62×51mm NATO Coaxial MG 7.62×51mm NATO Trooper Compartment Side Mounted GMPG
Detroit Diesel 6V 92TA 475 horsepower (354 kW) 550 hp (410 kW) with Turbo-charge
20 hp/tonne
Hydropneumatic suspension
400 km (250 mi)
70 km/h (43 mph)
The Bionix ( BX ) is a family of tracked Singaporean armoured fighting vehicles jointly developed by the former Defence Material Organisation of the Ministry of Defence of Singapore (now Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) ), and the former Singapore Technologies Automotive (STA) (now ST Engineering ). Intended to augment the Singapore Army's aging M113 armoured personnel carriers , it is the first indigenous armoured vehicle to be developed in Southeast Asia. The Bionix has been operational with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) since 1999 in a wide variety of adaptations including the Bionix II, Bionix 25 and Bionix 40/50 variants.
The Bionix is a compact design produced to meet the conditions of Pacific rim countries where small size is a great asset when it comes to travelling among rubber plantations and over roads and bridges not designed for heavy vehicles. The power provided by the 475 hp (354 kW) Detroit Diesel engine to drive its 23 tonnes, ensures the Bionix is able to overcome the most difficult terrain. Future upgrades in power ratings can be developed according to needs.
The integrated power pack is mounted to the right of the vehicle and can be removed from the Bionix as a complete unit in under 15 minutes. The engine is coupled to the L-3 Combat Propulsion Systems HMPT-500EC fully hydro mechanical transmission, with the final drives being provided by David Brown Defence Systems . The engine compartment is also fitted with an automatic fire detection and dry-powder fire suppression system with a supplementary manual back up.
In the turret, the gunner's station is on the right and the commander's station is on the left, each with a single hatch cover. The turret traverses through 360°. Traverse and weapon elevation is by all-electric digital control. Both the gunner and commander have a turret stop button and are able to lay and fire the weapons. The gunner has the turret control box mounted to the right of his position and both turret-crew members have an adjustable seat. The communications equipment is installed in the turret bustle.
The gunner has a twin-control handles and a day/thermal sight, with a magnification of x8 and two fields of view (high and low), with stadias for the 25mm cannon and 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. The commander has an optical relay from the gunner's sight and a single control handle. The vehicle commander has a further five day periscopes to give observation to the turret front, left side and rear; the gunner has three periscopes (1 x M17 and 2 x L794D) to give observation to the right and rear.
Interim Armored Vehicle - The variant was designed as an entry for the US Army's requirements for its Interim Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) concept in 2000. The original turret was replaced with a US-designed and built Recon/Optical stabilised remote weapon station armed with either a 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun , a 7.62mm machine gun or a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The replacement of the original turret decreased the overall weight to 17 tonnes, light enough to be air-lifted by a C-130 Hercules plane. It eventually lost the competition to the LAV III Stryker proposed by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and GM Defense .
Bionix Light Tank - Stemming from a need to replace/augment the current fleet of AMX-13 SM1 light tanks, MINDEF and United Defense conducted a series of studies to mount the Thunderbolt Armoured Gun System's 120 mm cannon turret (and alternatively, 105mm) on a variety of chassis, namely an extended Bionix chassis, the Universal Combat Vehicle Platform (which the SSPH Primus was based on) and a variant of the Thunderbolt's chassis. Early extensive attempts to mount an Oto Melara 120 mm turret on the Bionix have been unsuccessful. Singapore has since procured refurbished Leopard 2A4 MBTs.
Bionix 25 - First production model. Armed with 25mm Bushmaster cannon turret and 2 x 7.62mm GPMG. The first Bionix 25 production vehicles were completed in September 1997 and, under the Phase I production contract awarded to Singapore Technologies Automotive. Production continued until 2001. A total of 300 were built for the SAF.
Bionix 40/50 - Variant with Cupola mounted 40mm AGL / 0.5-inch HMG twin weapon station and 7.62mm GPMG. Can accommodate up to 11 troops. Approx. 300 were built.
The main turret was upgraded to the 30 mm Bushmaster II cannon and armour was improved.
The Bionix II has an improved day / night thermal sighting system (DNTSS) with a dual-axis stabilisation system for enhanced target tracking, and an integrated eye-safe laser rangefinder has a range of up to 3 km.
Upgrades also include minefield protection and enhancements to the 30mm cannon.
About 200 were built for the SAF, mostly were upgraded from existing 25mm variants.
Bionix ARV - Armoured Recovery Vehicle variant equipped with a 25 tonne winch and a 30 tonne crane.
Bionix AVLB - Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge variant fitted with an MLC30 bridge that can be launched within 7 minutes by a crew of two (commander and driver) from the internal armoured compartment or via remote control panel. When extended the bridge can be used to span a gap of up to 22 metres.
Bionix Counter-Mine Vehicle (Trailblazer) - The SAF has inducted a 30-ton class Counter-Mine Vehicle (CMV) built on the Bionix chassis called the Trailblazer, which uses a mine flail system. In addition to mine-clearing, the Trailblazer is able to mark its trails using a lane marking system with pneumatically fired rods, enabling vehicles to quickly travel behind the Trailblazer safely without losing momentum.
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 5.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 5.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | approved |
| 28 Sept 2026 | 5.9 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
Bionix (family of armoured fighting vehicles) equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
SingaporeArmy exact named equipment holdings: Bionix 40/50. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: ARMOURED FIGHTING VEHICLES / APC (T). Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.