Nov 3, 2008
First F-15SG ready for Singapore Air Force
24 new jets will enhance air defence next year, as part of military revampBy Teh Joo Lin
ST LOUIS (MISSOURI): THE first of 24 state-of-the-art fighter jets destined for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has officially rolled off the factory floor in the United States.
It is among the first batch of Boeing F-15SGs which are on schedule to be delivered next year, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) said this morning ahead of an unveiling ceremony at Boeing's plant in St Louis, Missouri.
The jets will replace the RSAF's retired fleet of Vietnam-era A4SU Super Skyhawk fighter-bombers. Mindef said the new jets will provide Singapore's military with 'enhanced air defence and air superiority capabilities'.
The plane is considered one of the top fighters in the world. According to maker Boeing, it has scored 101 wins against zero losses in aerial combats worldwide.
The announcement on the fledging F-15SG - the SG stands for Singapore - comes three years after Mindef inked a deal to buy a variant of the F-15 multi-role, all-weather jet.
Revealing details on the plane for the first time, Mindef said it is the 'most advanced and technologically sophisticated' F-15 built to date.
Besides being able to fly further and carry more bombs than the other fighters in the RSAF arsenal, it has an advanced radar system that had never been sold outside the US before.
Mindef said the radar has an 'extended detection range' which allows the F-15SG to pick up and engage targets before it is even spotted by the enemy.
The decision to buy the F-15 - which is also flown by the air forces of the US, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Israel - came after an eight-year search for a replacement fighter for the Skyhawks.
Boeing's F-15 edged out five other fighter jets including the French Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The planes are part of ongoing push to modernise Singapore's military. The drive includes the purchase of new hardware - like the stealth frigates - and equipment that enable units to share real-time information on the battlefield, among other things.
When the first batch are ready for delivery next year, the twin-seater planes will be sent to an RSAF detachment stationed at a US Air Force Base in the state of Idaho, where pilots will sharpen their skills. Singapore pilots have already been training on the US military's F-15Es.
One of them, Lieutenant Colonel Lim Chee Meng, told The Straits Times the chosen aircrew are among the best in the RSAF.
The F-15SG detachment commander said the plane has a different feel from the RSAF's incumbent F-16s and F-5s. It takes a 'bit more finesse' to handle, partly because of its larger size.
'As the aircraft is heavier and has a heavier weapons load, we may need to take a bit more time to be accustomed to the characteristics...to handle the plane at maximum performance,' he said.
The first F-15SG off the assembly line is now undergoing test flights before delivery.
Source
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_297822.html
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