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The Hawker Hunter (top) and F-15SG. (Photo: Mindef) SINGAPORE: Back in the day, a bombing run with the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) earliest fighter jet, the Hawker Hunter, meant first completing a math exercise. Before setting off, pilots would bury themselves in charts and tables, manually calculating the perfect trajectory for the bomb drop. They must consider the day’s wind and humidity, then figure out how high the aircraft should fly and how much it will drift. Once airborne, they intentionally aim off target and release the bomb. “One degree off your dive angle and the bomb will...

Rhino poachers operating in South Africa, especially along the country’s border with Zimbabwe, will soon face a new opponent, the Gripen fighter jet, according to a report from FlightGlobal. The revelation followed another announcement that the South African Air Force (SAAF) had finally gotten nearly all of its Swedish-made aircraft out of storage and back onto the flightline. On June 18, 2017, Lieutenant Colonel Josias Mashaba, head of the SAAF’s 2 Squadron gave details about the state of his country’s Gripen fleet during an annual meeting of the Swedish Air Force Fan Club – yes, fan club – in Paris,...

Welcome to Dallas Fort Worth, where production of what has been labelled the world's most advanced fighter jet is continuing apace. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter can travel at nearly twice the speed of sound, has stealth features that make it tough to detect by enemy planes and radars, and high-tech systems which let it strike the enemy first before being spotted. But the plane, which Lockheed Martin started developing in 2001, has also become a lightning rod for criticism. It has faced delays, ballooning production costs and a series of production flaws, such as a fuel tank prone to...

British soldiers have provided Saudi Arabian forces with training for cruise missile and artillery attacks since Riyadh entered the war in Yemen, despite international condemnation of the kingdom’s air strikes and claims they have killed scores of civilians. The details of the training were revealed on Friday after freedom of information requests, made by the human rights group Reprieve and seen by Middle East Eye, were released. The Ministry of Defence has maintained that British forces are not helping Saudi forces direct strikes, select targets or conduct operations in Yemen. However, information in the FoI shows how close military cooperation...

Evidence that Singapore has far more than the officially claimed 24 Boeing F-15SG fighter aircraft has emerged, although the precise number of airframes has yet to be ascertained. The FAA registry shows that eight Boeing F-15SG aircraft were registered to Boeing on 6 August 2014. The aircraft bear registrations N361SG, N363SG, N366SG, N368SG,N373SG, N376SG, N378SG, and N837SG. Over the years industry observers have come to share the belief that the true number of aircraft is probably 32 - not 24 - mainly owing to the range of registration numbers on Singapore air force registered F-15SGs. Moreover, on a tour of...

The Royal Saudi Air Force’s Typhoon aircraft completed 10,000 flying hours recently, BAE Systems Saudi Arabia PR and communications director Monther M. Tayeb told Arab News. “The Typhoon aircraft’s performance is significant in the history of any fleet. Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced swing-role combat aircraft simultaneously providing deployable air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities,” he said. Tayeb noted that BAE Systems delivered the first two Typhoon aircrafts in the Kingdom in 2009 and form part of a fleet totaling 72 aircrafts. “This agreement forms part of a strategic relationship between the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom,”...

Singapore gets new early-warning aircraft Singapore gets new early-warning aircraft as four Gulfstream jets went operational on Friday in a ceremony at Tengah Air Base, officiated by Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen. With a detection range of more than 200 nautical miles, the Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW) aircraft allows the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) to see farther, and respond more effectively to aerial threats in various operational situations. The four Gulfstream 550s are the same business jets used by the rich. They were converted for military use and replace the RSAF's E-2C AEW Hawkeye that...

Saudi Typhoon storms ahead Posted 23 January 2012 Saudi Arabia has faced challenges introducing the Eurofighter Typhoon into service, not least in establishing local production – which has yet to start. But, as Jon Lake reports, despite this the Royal Saudi Air Force is pushing hard to adopt new capabilities and is believed to have been driving the pace of the development of new air-to-ground capabilities for the tranche 2 aeroplane. Many analysts believe that the pace of development for the phase 1 enhanced (P1E) programme of the Saudi Arabian Typhoons has been more rapid than might have been expected...

HONOLULU – The Obama administration and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement approving the sale of combat aircraft worth nearly $30 billion to the Saudi air force, the White House announced Thursday. The deal clears the way for the sale of 84 new F-15SA fighter jets and the modernization of another 70 already in the Saudi fleet, plus the production of munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics. Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Arab world, especially because of its ardent opposition to Iran, which intensified earlier this year as Iranian operatives were alleged to have attempted...

Saudi Arabia seeks Tranche 3 capabilities for Typhoon fleet By Craig Hoyle Saudi Arabia could modify its Salam programme acquisition of the Eurofighter Typhoon to equip part of the fleet with Tranche 3 capabilities. BAE Systems disclosed the potential contractual shift on 17 February within its annual results report. Eighteen of the Royal Saudi Air Force's eventual 72 Typhoons have been delivered so far, with these having come off BAE's final assembly line at Warton, Lancashire. Riyadh has so far received 12 single-seat fighters and six two-seat trainers, with 10 of the total having been delivered during 2010. "Whilst deliveries...

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) are conducting a joint air power employment exercise, code named ‘Al Saqoor-II’, in Saudi Arabia. The exercise commenced on January 6 and will be completed by January 19. A PAF contingent comprising F-16 and Mirage aircraft and that of the RSAF consisting of F-15 aircraft are participating in the exercise in which air operations are being executed in near realistic environment. The exercise will benefit both teams and hone their professional skills and further enhance existing brotherly relations between the two countries and their air forces. It will also...

Mountain Home AFB may get Saudi training squadron Friday, December 3, 2010 Mountain Home News Mountain Home Air Force Base is believed to be on a list of bases being considered to support an F-15 training squadron from the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Mountain Home News has learned. Saudi Arabia is in the midst of purchasing $60 billion worth of arms from the United States, including 84 F-15S fighter-bombers and upgrades to 70 other F-15s already in its inventory. As part of the package, the Saudi government is looking at acquiring basing rights for a "desert environment" training squadron...

The air forces of Singapore and Indonesia began a 10-day joint exercise dubbed Elang Indopura 16/10 in West Nusatengara (NTB), an Indonesian Air Force spokesman said. "During the joint exercise, elements from the two air forces will do command post and field maneuvers," the Indonesian Air Force Headquarters` chief information officer, Air Commodore Bambang Samedro, said here Wednesday. The maneuvers would include one-to-one and even one-to-two air battles (dog fights) over Rembiga Airbase in West Nusa Tenggara, he said. The Indonesian Air Force as well as its Singaporean counterpart were represented in the joint exercise by F-16 Fighting Falcons with...

Singapore's air force has received its first modernized C-130 featuring Rockwell Collins avionics upgrade. The company's Flight2TM upgrade included an improved flight management system allowing access to precision Global Positioning System approaches, preferred air traffic control routings and search-and-rescue patterns; multifunction displays featuring active matrix liquid crystal display technology; a central engine instrument display replacing analog gauges; improved voice communication; an enhanced digital autopilot and flight director; and an advanced digital weather radar.

U.S. plans to sell Saudi Arabia advanced weapons systems worth $60 billion to counter Iran could turn out to be more of a problem than a panacea. The Saudis, unlike the Israelis, have always had problems absorbing high-tech Western systems since they began buying state-of-the-art war machines in the 1970s. Right now, they already have more top-line equipment than they can effectively use, such as an air force with more aircraft than it has front-line pilots or commanders able to deploy them in combat. Saudi Arabia traditionally bankrolls part of Pakistan's military purchases and in return gets experienced Pakistan pilots...

For the first time ever, the Indian Air Force’s SU-30 MKI will be participating in a joint exercise in France early next week. The two air forces will be joined by the Singaporean Air Force with its American-origin Block 52 F-16s. As another first, IAF’s Garuda Special Forces will be taking part in the Indo-French Garuda series air-to-air exercises in France. During the exercise, the French Air Force will field its Mirage 2000 and Rafael fighter aircraft, which are currently competing for the $10-bn deal to supply 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft to the IAF. An IAF contingent of 230...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean officiated at the inauguration ceremony of 149 Squadron, the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) first local F-15SG Squadron, at Paya Lebar Air Base this afternoon. The F-15SG Squadron will join the fighter group under the Air Combat Command, which plans, controls and executes air warfare operations. This marks a significant milestone in the 3rd Generation RSAF's development of its advanced fighter capabilities. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mr Teo highlighted the crucial role that the F-15SG squadron will play in enhancing the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) ability to deal...

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been examining the advanced F-15 fighter-jet. Boeing has targeted Qatar and Saudi Arabia as key clients for the F-15. Executives said a contract between Boeing and a Gulf Cooperation Council state could be signed by 2011. "We're hoping for something to happen in the 2010-11 timeframe," Boeing Defense vice president Mark Kronenberg said. In a Feb. 3 briefing at the Singapore Air Show, Boeing outlined efforts to sell the F-15 and the F/A-18 fighter-jets to GCC states. Executives said Qatar and Saudi Arabia marked the biggest opportunities for their company over the next year. Kronenberg...

Dubai 2007: Boeing forecasts Saudi order for 48 more F-15 fighters By Craig Hoyle Boeing is upbeat about its prospects in the global fighter market, despite the F-15's grounding for non-essential operations by Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the USA in the wake of a 2 November crash. The decision followed the loss of a US Air National Guard F-15C, which is believed to have suffered a catastrophic structural failure during a routine training sortie. The aircraft's pilot ejected, suffering minor injuries. The manufacturer, which says it is providing engineering support to the US Air Force during its investigation, recently...

Six F-16 C/D F-16s from the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, recently deployed to Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore, to participate in the first iteration of Exercise Commando Sling 2008. The exercise began Oct. 29 and runs through Nov. 16. Exercise Commando Sling 2008 involves forces from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The exercise series, which kicked off this month, runs through the summer of 2008. In addition to F-16 C/Ds from Osan AB, F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft from 18th Wing, Kadena AB, Japan, and...