Airforces - Typhoon school

of Staff Gen David L Goldfein
and USAF Commander, Pacific
Air Forces (PACAF) Gen
Terrence J O’Shaughnessy.
For the static display, the US
provided two Marine Fighter
Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121
F-35Bs, which have been
based at Marine Corps Air
Station Iwakuni, Okinawa, since
January last year. They sat
alongside two F-22As from the
525th Fighter Squadron, 3rd
Wing, currently operating from
Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.

Current fi ghters
For now, the RSAF continues
to work with its 40 F-15SGs
and 60 F-16C/Ds which provide
the punch for its Air Combat
Command (see p44-47).
In late 2015 Lockheed Martin
won a deal worth around
around US$914m to upgrade
the RSAF’s F-16C/D Block 52
fleet to Block 72 standard.
The core of the upgrade is
the Northrop Grumman AN/
APG-83 airborne electronically
scanned array (AESA) radar,
the development of which has
benefited from experience gained
with the F-35’s AN/APG-81 radar.
While the manufacturer refers
to new aircraft coming off the
production line as F-16Vs,
upgraded versions become
Block 70 or 72 jets depending

upon the powerplant.

They will bring some important

enhancements, as Lockheed

Martin’s Randy Howard pointed

out at the show: “With a high-

speed data-networking system and

processing technology, information

coming out of the radar can be

fed into the cockpit as high-

definition imagery and video.

“It means the F-16 pilot has a

significant increase in situational

awareness allowing him or

her to make tactical decisions

in real time. Our experience

on the F-35 and F-22 has

allowed us to take the latest

technologies into the F-16.”

He added: “The radar is able

to look at multiple targets, in the

air, on the ground and sea at

the same time. For customers

in the region with large areas to

cover, including many islands,

it will be a great advantage.”

Two RSAF jets are already

believed to be at Lockheed

Martin’s Fort Worth facility

where they will be upgraded

as pattern aircraft. According

to one source, they will soon

be joined by two more.

Paya Lebar-based Singapore

Technologies Aerospace

is expected to begin the

serial upgrade of jets before

the end of the year.

Israeli presence

The RSAF is a keen customer of

Israeli technology and ordering the

Block 72 will bring the possibility

of new weaponry. Singapore

already operates Rafael’s weapons

and sensors and the company had

a significant presence at the show.

Below: The most recent RSAF fi ghter
unit to stand up is 142 ‘Gryphon’
Squadron, with F-15SGs. The unit
is believed to have been established
with Strike Eagles in early 2016, after
an additional batch of aircraft was
acquired.

36 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

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