It was announced last year that Singapore plans to base a contingent of F-15SGs in New Zealand for training purposes
New Zealand’s Defense Minister Ron Mark said in a statement on Mar. 13 that his country is still evaluating a proposal by Singapore to send a detachment of F-15SG fighters to Royal New Zealand Air Force Base (RNZAF) Base Ohakea.
Mark had earlier on met Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen in Auckland for the second annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting.
It was announced last year that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) plans to base a contingent of F-15SGs in New Zealand for training purposes.
In February 2017 in fact former New Zealand’s Minister of Defense Gerry Brownlee disclosed that Singapore had identified Ohakea air base in Manawatu as a potential site to bed down its F-15SGs.
Actually New Zealand doesn’t have Singapore congested airspace “so the opportunity to fly more freely clearly exists at Ohakea,” he said to New Zealand Herald.
Brownlee added the move will bring economic benefits to New Zealand as up to 500 Singaporeans could be relocated to New Zealand for the F-15SG detachment.
Noteworthy, because of severe airspace constraints within Singapore, the Republic of Singapore Air Force has permanently detached part of its fleet in France, U.S. and Australia airfields to provide better training for its pilots.
The F-15SG is a variant of the F-15E, ordered by the RSAF. The first order for 12 F-15SG fighters was placed in December 2005.
On Aug. 22, 2005, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress about a potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of weapons, logistics and training in the event that the Boeing F-15 was selected by Singapore. The package’s options include AIM-120C and AIM-9X missiles; GBU-38 JDAM and AGM-154 JSOW air-to-ground weapons, Night Vision Goggles and Link 16 terminals. Two General Electric F110 engines, with 29,400 lbf (131 kN) of thrust each, powers the F-15SG.
The Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Oct. 22, 2007, exercised the option to purchase eight more F-15SGs which was part of the original contract. Along with this buy, an additional order of four F-15SGs increased the total order to 24 fighters. The first F-15SG was rolled out on 3 November 2008. Deliveries of F-15SGs began in 2009 and all 24 were declared operationally ready in September 2013.
Photo credit: Eugene Butler via Wikipedia
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
