Page 11 - ADT JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

eventuality of war as the devas- tranche of F-35Bs – eight of them The F-16s have also been equipped
tating force to destroy an enemy’s – and they will be added to our with an all-weather ground-attack
potential and fatally undermine his fleet by the end of the decade. This capability, enabling them to strike
will to wage war.” acquisition will support the progres- targets with more capable precision
sive drawdown of our ageing F-16s, munitions, such as the laser joint
Southeast Asian countries have which will retire from the mid-2030s, direct attack munition.
given priority to modernisation of which means that at steady state,
their air force. Due to the differ- the RSAF will operate the F-35s “The upgrade also enhances
ence in scientific and technological and F-15s fighter planes, the most
capability and budget among coun- advanced in the region, the minister the F-16s’ air-to-air combat
tries, they have adopted different noted. capability with the ability to
approaches. Nevertheless, these employ modern air-to-air
countries have all combined upgra- Meanwhile, Singapore has unveiled missiles, such as the
dation of old-generation aircraft with its recently upgraded F-16 fighter
procurement of modern aircraft. jets with advanced capabilities. The Python-5, which enables
F-16s have been equipped with six them to engage with a wider
According to statistics, in the past new advanced capabilities—active spectrum of air threats,”
10 years, Southeast Asia has been electronically scanned array radar the defence minister said.
among the biggest buyers of weap- (AESA), joint helmet mounted
ons and equipment in the world with cueing system, air-to-air munition,
the average yearly increase of 10 air-to-ground munition, datalink The Python-5 missiles were incor-
per cent since 2009. Countries in capability and electronic warfare porated into the RSAF’s fleet of
this region have been acquiring the suite. upgraded F-16 C/D/D+ fighters as
latest weapons and equipment for part of the aircraft’s mid-life upgrade
their air forces, such as multi-role The AESA radar represents a signif- (MLU) programme meant to extend
fourth and fifth generation fighters, icant upgrade, enabling the aircraft their service lives into the 2030s. A
armed helicopters, airborne early to track and engage targets at a commemorative unit patch for the
warning and control aircrafts, air- greater distance. Additionally, the Singaporean F-16 upgrade program
to-air and air-to-surface precision upgraded aircraft are equipped with had shown a Python missile, hinting
weapons. Elta/IAI ELL-8212 pods and pilots’ at its eventual integration with the
helmets produced by Elbit Systems. jet.
Singapore Sling

When it acquires the F-35s,
Singapore will join the US allies
Australia, Japan, and South Korea
in operating the jets in the Pacific.
“Our pilots have flown in F-35
mission simulators and learnt from
operational F-35 instructor pilots.
They have evaluated the electronic
systems on board the aircraft and
made trips to F-35 bases to study
how other users maintain their
fleets. We have also flown with
other F-35 operators very recently
at Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin,
Australia. All these have given us
valuable insights. The Ministry of
Defence and the SAF have con-
cluded that the F-35 is the best
choice to meet our defence needs
now and in the future,” the defence
minister added.

“The MINDEF will proceed to exer- © GBP
cise the option to acquire a second

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