EXTENDING SIGHT AND REACH

A special group of aircraft and men work tirelessly to give the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) an added boost to see and fly further. PIONEER delves into the workings of this group which does most of its work behind the scenes.

Pick any major air exercise or operation and you can be sure that the Transport Group (TG) was involved in some way. They may not do the headline-grabbing work, seeing that only one of its four squadrons has aircraft that are armed, but their participation is often crucial to the missions.

Take the recent Exercise Garuda for example, where six F-16D+ fighters from the RSAF flew 11,500km to France. This deployment, the RSAF's longest to date, would not have been possible without the KC-135R Stratotanker and the C-130 Hercules. These planes, which are operated by 112 and 122 squadrons (SQNs) of the TG, provided the aerial refuelling for the fighters as well as the airlift of detachment personnel to the exercise.

The TG also boasts heavy-lift, aerial resupply, paratrooping, aeromedical evacuation, Search and Locate (SAL), airborne early warning (AEW), maritime surveillance and non-combatant evacuation operations in its bag of tricks. These come in the form of the C-130 Hercules heavy-lift aircraft, the E-2C Hawkeye AEW, the Gulfstream 550 AEW (G550-AEW) and the Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (F-50 MPA). The last is operated by 121 SQN and packs not just surveillance equipment, but also anti-surface Harpoon missiles.

Extended range

While the KC-135Rs are primarily giant flying petrol stations, what they provide to the larger Singapore Armed Forces fulfils a higher objective. Lightweight and agile, the RSAF's fighter aircraft have limited range and need to be refuelled frequently.

112 SQN essentially extends the effective range of the RSAF fighters. With the tankers in the right place at the right time, fighter aircraft can sustain flight for much longer than usual. In the squadron's 10-year history, its KC-135Rs have been deployed five times to the Gulf region where they "tanked" various coalition forces' fighter aircraft such as the French Mirage interceptor aircraft.

"The addition of the KC-135Rs was a quantum leap in the RSAF's capabilities when they went into service. It allowed us to deploy our fighter aircraft vast distances in one hop, and dramatically improved our rapid deployment ability," said Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) Mike Bogaars, Commander TG.

Fitted with both the Multi-Point Refuelling System (MPRS) and the Refuelling Boom, the KC-135Rs can refuel the RSAF's entire fleet of fighter aircraft. When the MPRS is used, receiving pilots guide their aircraft into the nodes trailing from the wings of the KC-135Rs.

The real challenge comes when using the refuelling boom as operators have to guide the refuelling arm into the receiving aircraft's fuel port. "It is really a challenge as both the KC-135R and the receiving aircraft are moving at high speeds. I need to compensate for both aircraft's movements," said 1st Sergeant (1SG) Olsen Goh Zong Han, a Boom Operator.

For this reason, the Boom Operators are empowered to call off a receiving plane if it makes the wrong approach

Sensory boost

With 111 SQN's E-2C Hawkeye and G550-AEW aircraft and 121 SQN's F-50 MPA, the TG plays a key role in the surveillance of the skies and seas of Singapore.

As the RSAF's first transport squadron, 121 SQN started life in 1973 operating the Shorts SH-7 Skyvan aircraft. In 1993, these were replaced by the current F-50 MPAs and Utility Aircraft (UTA). While the SH-7 Skyvans' means of search was purely visual, the F-50 MPAs carry electro-optics and radar to augment their SAL capabilities, as well as their main task of maritime patrol.

Together with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), 121 SQN conducts regular maritime patrols over the Straits of Malacca as part of the regional Eyes-in-the-Sky (EiS) programme. First mooted in 2005, the EiS programme is maintained by the four littoral states of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Initially, there were some challenges in working with the RSN, F-50 MPA pilot Major (MAJ) Chan Chee Siong admitted. Things such as directional references and the different work rosters on board RSN ships resulted in some confusion during the early days. "However, we quickly realised that we were able to put aside such differences to work together," he said.

"Through this close cooperation with the RSN, we have learnt a great deal about each other's operations," he added.

In addition, 121 SQN carries out aeromedical evacuation and provides medium-lift capabilities. "Given the full spectrum of operations from SAL to HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) work, there is a lot of knowledge for F-50 MPA pilots to absorb in a relatively short period of time. When we eventually take to the skies, we must be prepared for all situations together as one crew," said MAJ Chan, who has also flown in the RSAF fighter squadrons.

Loadmaster 2nd Warrant Officer (2WO) Kumareson Athmanathan agreed. "We don't draw lines when it comes to our duties. While the pilot is flying the plane, I take it as my responsibility to monitor other safety parameters. We complement each other's roles in that way," he said.

Although the E-2Cs operated by 111 SQN will eventually be replaced by the G550-AEWs, they still play a fundamental part in keeping Singapore's airspace secure. Since 1990, 111 SQN has proven its mettle in exercises such as Exercise Pitch Black (See pages 12 and 13) in Darwin, Australia.

Heavy Lifting

As the aerial heavy-lift aircraft of the RSAF, the C-130 Hercules - and 122 SQN which operates them - often find themselves in foreign territory. With their large carrying capacity, the C-130s are often relied upon to ferry relief supplies during peace support and HADR missions.

The first RSAF aircraft to be deployed into hostile territory, a C-130 Hercules from 122 SQN, joined coalition forces in their reconstruction efforts of post-war Iraq in 2004. Numerous flights have been launched to disaster-stricken regions by the squadron. For example, C-130s were dispatched with emergency supplies to Padang, Indonesia following the Boxing Day tsunami.

With so many capabilities and responsibilities under their belt, it is little wonder that a certain squadron in the TG has adopted an unofficial motto: "Saving the planet, one country at a time"!