Posted on Jul 11, 2021
Singapore Air Force F-35 pilots to train at U.S. base | Indo-Pacific Defense Forum
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An Air National Guard base in the United States will become the training facility for Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter pilots, including those flying the new F-35B Lightning.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been selected to host the RSAF’s future F-35B aircraft and its Peace Carvin II F-16 training detachment, which will relocate from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced June 4, 2021.
The decision follows the 2020 sale of up to a dozen short-takeoff and vertical-landing F-35Bs at an estimated cost of U.S. $2.75 billion to Singapore under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act. The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to its foreign defense partners.
“The RSAF looks forward to enhanced joint training and exchanges with the USAF’s [U.S. Air Force’s] and U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35s,” MINDEF said in a statement. “Such overseas training is important for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to overcome local airspace constraints and to conduct high-end realistic training.”
Land-scarce Singapore relies on foreign partners for military training. In addition to RSAF training in the U.S., SAF personnel have trained in Australia for more than three decades.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been selected to host the RSAF’s future F-35B aircraft and its Peace Carvin II F-16 training detachment, which will relocate from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) announced June 4, 2021.
The decision follows the 2020 sale of up to a dozen short-takeoff and vertical-landing F-35Bs at an estimated cost of U.S. $2.75 billion to Singapore under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act. The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to its foreign defense partners.
“The RSAF looks forward to enhanced joint training and exchanges with the USAF’s [U.S. Air Force’s] and U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35s,” MINDEF said in a statement. “Such overseas training is important for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to overcome local airspace constraints and to conduct high-end realistic training.”
Land-scarce Singapore relies on foreign partners for military training. In addition to RSAF training in the U.S., SAF personnel have trained in Australia for more than three decades.
Singapore Air Force F-35 pilots to train at U.S. base | Indo-Pacific Defense Forum
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel .....Military-to-military exchanges, training and defense-technology collaboration are part of regular MINDEF interactions with the U.S. Department of Defense , which has historically supported the RSAF’s training in the U.S., according to MINDEF.
The Peace Carvin V’s F-15SG unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Peace Vanguard’s AH-64 Apache helicopter detachment in Marana, Arizona, are the other RSAF training detachments in the continental U.S. The RSAF also maintains a U.S. training detachment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
Singapore and Washington signed the Strategic Framework Agreement in 2005, elevating bilateral defense cooperation and recognizing Singapore as a major security cooperation partner.
According to the U.S. Air Force, Luke Air Force Base’s ramp- and airspace-capacity restrictions influenced the choice of Ebbing as the F-35 training site for foreign military sales participants. Other allies and partners have shown interest in conducting F-35 training in the U.S. The Ebbing training center will be able to accommodate up to 36 fighter planes.
“We have made significant progress toward building the most expansive fifth-generation airspace directly over Ebbing and an aerial range just 4 miles off the end of the runway,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters June 3, 2021. (Pictured: The Air Operations Center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas.)
The F-35Bs will supplement Singapore’s aircraft inventory and improve its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities, according to the U.S. Defense Department, thereby enhancing the country’s ability to protect its borders and participate in coalition operations. Moreover, they will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.
Tom Abke is a FORUM contributor reporting from Singapore.
The Peace Carvin V’s F-15SG unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and Peace Vanguard’s AH-64 Apache helicopter detachment in Marana, Arizona, are the other RSAF training detachments in the continental U.S. The RSAF also maintains a U.S. training detachment at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
Singapore and Washington signed the Strategic Framework Agreement in 2005, elevating bilateral defense cooperation and recognizing Singapore as a major security cooperation partner.
According to the U.S. Air Force, Luke Air Force Base’s ramp- and airspace-capacity restrictions influenced the choice of Ebbing as the F-35 training site for foreign military sales participants. Other allies and partners have shown interest in conducting F-35 training in the U.S. The Ebbing training center will be able to accommodate up to 36 fighter planes.
“We have made significant progress toward building the most expansive fifth-generation airspace directly over Ebbing and an aerial range just 4 miles off the end of the runway,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters June 3, 2021. (Pictured: The Air Operations Center at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas.)
The F-35Bs will supplement Singapore’s aircraft inventory and improve its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capabilities, according to the U.S. Defense Department, thereby enhancing the country’s ability to protect its borders and participate in coalition operations. Moreover, they will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.
Tom Abke is a FORUM contributor reporting from Singapore.
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