Singapore Air Force freezes F-16 training after crash

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has suspended training for its F-16 fleet as a safety measure after one of its Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets crashed at Tengah Air Base in western Singapore on May 8.

According to the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), the pilot – who has amassed more than 2,000 flying hours on the F-16 – suffered flight control problems shortly after take-off. He responded in accordance with emergency procedures and successfully ejected from the aircraft, believed to be a single-seat F-16C aircraft.

MINDEF added that F-16 training has been paused until research shows it is safe to resume.

The last crash of an RSAF fighter plane occurred almost twenty years ago, on May 19, 2004, an F-16C crashed in Arizona. The pilot died in the crash.

“The last time we had a fighter plane crash was 20 years ago. It is a credible record but clearly disappointed with this incident – ​​the target for the RSAF should still be zero crashes,” Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said on his social media account. “Full investigations are underway to ensure all factors are identified and decisively addressed.”

The RSAF is well into upgrading its F-16 fighter fleet, which entered service in the late 1980s.

MINDEF announced in 2015 that the aircraft fleet will undergo an extensive mid-life upgrade program (MLU), with major improvements focused on a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar – likely the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar Northrop Grumman – and updated avionics, including the Link-16 Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVT), which would allow the F-16s to more easily share and receive data with the newer F-15SG aircraft.

The MLU also includes a range of precision weapons and training munitions, Boeing GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), KMU-572/B 500lb Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and KMU-556/B 2000lb JDAM tail kits. Of particular interest are the SDBs, which would allow the F-16s to carry a greater number of precision munitions and increase their air-to-ground attack potential thanks to their compact size and weight.

Upgrade work began in 2016 and is expected to be completed around 2023, with the F-16 fleet remaining operational until the 2030s, when it will be replaced by an undisclosed number of F-35s. The status of the upgrade works is yet to be updated by MINDEF.

by Jr Ng