If asked to choose one part of the National Day Parade (NDP) that’s the most exhilarating to watch, most of us would probably choose the Red Lions segment.
I mean, jumping out of parachutes is pretty hard to beat.
In recent years, the Red Lions have even taken their performances into multiple Housing Development Board (HDB) estates due to the restriction on the number of people allowed to watch the NDP at Marina Bay.
They have also landed outside other areas, such as hospitals, to salute frontline workers for their hard work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it seems like that won’t be happening this year.
Based on tender documents that The Straits Times had access to, the Red Lions will only be carrying out their freefall display operations at the Padang during NDP.
“For NDP23, Authority (the Red Lions) will conduct freefall display operations in Padang only,” the tender read.
Here’s what you need to know.
Review Was Carried Out After the NDP 2022 Incident
For those of us who tuned in to NDP 2022, most might remember that a Red Lion parachutist ended up injured after a hard landing during his jump at the Marina Bay floating platform.
Third Warrant Officer (3WO) Jeffery Heng, the injured parachutist, was taken away on a stretcher and sent to the hospital afterwards.
A day after the incident, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen updated the public by saying that 3WO Heng, who was one of ten parachutists for NDP 2022, was injured but did not need surgery.
He also announced that 3WO Heng was expected to make a full recovery.
During that same week, Dr Ng also mentioned that a review committee had been set up to evaluate the cause of the incident.
The committee, led by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Inspector-General Office, included independent skydiving and military freefall experts outside the SAF.
Interim Update Was Given in September Last Year
Currently, the review committee’s outcomes have yet to be disclosed.
However, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) issued an interim update in September last year.
At that time, the committee was looking into increased safety measures, such as increasing the distance between parachutists.
This would let them have more reaction time when getting closer to the landing zone and allow their landings to be more spaced out.
Additionally, it was indicated by Dr Ng in a written parliamentary reply that the review committee would need to make sure that there are suitable measures that can ensure the Red Lions’ safety before they can continue to be a part of the annual NDP celebrations.
And the incident last year wasn’t the only time a Red Lion parachutist got injured while jumping.
In 2005, a parachutist fractured his hip at the Padang during a rehearsal after a rough landing.
In July 2021, a flag attached to a parachutist was caught in the grass during his landing.
The incident, which occurred in the afternoon at Bishan, caused the parachutist to fall and be stretchered off.
