|
Singapore Air Force
Fighter aircraft were organized into intercept and
groundattack squadrons. There were additional aircraft squadrons
for
long-distance troop and equipment transport and early
warning;
surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft gun units for air
defense;
and helicopter squadrons for transporting airmobile
infantry into
battle or search-and-rescue operations.
Air defense missions were controlled from the ground by
the Air
Defence Command at Bukit Gombak and from the air by
Grumman E-2C
early warning and control aircraft. Ground control
included a
number of radar stations strategically deployed throughout
the
country. The first of the air force's four Grumman E-2Cs
were
acquired by Singapore in 1987. Sophisticated long-range
radar and
tracking equipment aboard these aircraft enabled air
defense
controllers to detect possible enemy aircraft long before
they
entered the range of Singapore's ground-based defense
radar system.
Together the two systems provided an effective air defense
warning
system.
Two squadrons with thirty-five Northrop F-5E and F-5F
interceptors aircraft based at Tengah Air Base provided
the
nation's first line of air defense. The first squadron of
F-5s was
formed in 1979 and the second in 1985. The F-5, equipped
with AIM9J air-to-air missiles, would perform well in combat
against most
other types of fighter and bomber aircraft. If necessary,
aircraft
assigned to the ground-attack squadrons could be used for
air
intercept missions.
The air force operated four surface-to-air missile
systems and
deployed antiaircraft guns to protect air bases and radar
stations.
One unit equipped with British-produced Bloodhound 2
missiles
provided long-range and high-altitude protection within an
eightykilometer range. Another unit equipped with United
States-produced
improved HAWK missiles provided defense against medium- to
highflying aircraft at distances up to forty kilometers. Two
missile
systems were intended for close-range air defense: the
Britishproduced Rapier, with radar and optical tracking modes,
had a
twelve-kilometer range; and the Swedish-produced RBS-70,
which
usually was transported on domestically modified V-200
armored
personnel carriers, had a five-kilometer range. The air
force was
equipped with the same types of antiaircraft guns as the
army.
Two models of fighter aircraft were imported by the air
force
for ground-attack missions in the 1970s and continued to
be
utilized for that role in 1989. Three squadrons with
sixty-three
McDonnell Douglas Skyhawks comprised the largest component
of the
ground-attack force. The A-4S/S1 could be used for bombing
missions
and close air support. Some of these aircraft were
modified by
Singapore Aircraft Industries for antishipping and
antisubmarine
warfare. In 1989 one squadron of thirty British-produced
Hawker
Hunter fighter aircraft was still flying. However, these
aircraft
were scheduled to be replaced by twenty F-16
fighter-bombers in the
early 1990s.
Two models of helicopters were used by the air force
for joint
service operations with the army and for search-and-rescue
missions. Two squadrons of Bell UH-1H helicopters, each
having a
complement of twenty helicopters, were formed in the late
1970s to
enable the air force to transport specially trained
infantrymen
anywhere on the island during combat. If both squadrons
were used,
the air force could airlift a lightly-armed battalion into
battle
within hours of receiving its orders. In 1986 the air
force began
to import French-produced AS-332B helicopters to augment
its force
of UH-1H helicopters for troop transport and to provide an
improved
search-and-rescue capability. The AS-332B had the
advantage of a
larger troop capacity and a greater combat radius. In 1989
the air
force had taken delivery of six AS-332Bs and deployed them
for
search-and-rescue operations. An additional sixteen
AS-332Bs were
scheduled to be delivered to the air force in the early
1990s and
would be used primarily for troop transport.
Data as of December 1989
|
