RSAF F-16 Jet Crashes At Tengah Air Base
RSAF F-16 Jet Crashes At Tengah Air Base
- RSAF F-16 crashes during training, with the pilot safely ejecting.
- Singapore halts F-16 training and imposes safety timeout after crash.
- RSAF has recently invested in F-16 fleet upgrades and plans to phase it out with the F-35 by mid-2030s.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-16 crashed shortly after take-off on Wednesday during a routine training run, with the pilot escaping unharmed. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash, which is the RSAF’s first fighter jet crash in two decades.
Singapore F-16 crashes after take-off
According to a Ministry of Defence statement, the Lockheed Martin F-16C suffered an unspecified “issue” shortly after taking off around 12:35 local time from Tengah Air Base on Wednesday afternoon. As per the statement, the pilot is said to have encountered “flight control issues” shortly after taking off on a training mission.
The single pilot of the jet managed to eject before the crash and was not significantly injured, although he remains in hospital under observation. The Ministry of Defence commented,
“The pilot is conscious and able to walk. He is receiving medical attention. No other personnel is hurt.”
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed that the pilot did not suffer any major injuries and was “conscious and talking” in the hospital before adding that his “alertness and compliance with safety procedures” saved his life. The ministry added that the pilot involved has accumulated over 2,000 flight hours with the F-16. The aircraft’s flight recorder has also been recovered, with the RSAF working closely with manufacturer Lockheed Martin and Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau to analyze its information.
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F-16 training suspended
Singapore has halted all F-16 training flights while it investigates Wednesday’s crash, citing it as a precaution until the fleet has been cleared to resume operations. It has also imposed a one-day safety timeout to review procedures before resuming operations, other than with the F-16, on May 10th. The country’s air force has flown the F-16 for almost three decades, during which it has experienced three other crashes – the last one happened in May 2004 in Arizona, unfortunately leading to the death of pilot Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han.
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The investigation is still in the early stages with more updates to come. Minister Ng Eng Hen said the RSAF’s goal is to have “zero crashes” before adding,
“Full investigations are underway to make sure all factors are identified and rectified decisively.”
Singapore has invested considerably in its F-16 fleet to keep it operational until the mid-2030s. Beginning in 2016, some of its upgrades include Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar and a Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, as well as enhancing its munitions compatibility. The RSAF has also ordered 12 F-35Bs and eight F-35As that will undergo testing in the US – current plans will see the first F-35s delivered in 2030 before phasing out the F-16 fleet.
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