GOODBYE, FENNEC!

When French footballer Zinedine Zidane retired from playing and bade farewell to his beloved club, Real Madrid, he was in tears as all the fans chanted "merci" in a show of appreciation for his time at the club.

There were no chants of "Thank you" at Seletar Air Base on 18 Dec and no tears were shed either.

The mood at the AS550 Fennec Draw-down ceremony was a mixture of reminiscence and anticipation.

The Fennec helicopters had served the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) for 14 years. It was time to say goodbye and look ahead to a new platform that would assist the RSAF in its transformation efforts into the third-generation fighting force.

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Lee Hock Hua, Commanding Officer of the 124th Squadron (124 SQN), told cyberpioneer: "As part of our transformation, there is a need to acquire a new aircraft that will allow our pilots a better transition to more advanced platforms."

He admitted that the Fennecs had served his squadron well in training and operations.

Of all the milestones of the aircraft, what LTC Lee remembered best was back in 1993 when the Fennec was deployed by the now-defunct 123rd Squadron to participate in Exercise Wallaby in Australia, supporting the Army in its varied missions.

Recalling that event in his speech at the ceremony, he said: "It was a challenge, being the first time that the Fennecs were able to participate and integrate successfully with Army operations on a large-scale exercise."

In a gesture to symbolise the official 'retirement' of the Fennecs, LTC Lee handed a model of the aircraft to Commander Flying Training School, Colonel (COL) Lim Chye Poh.

The 10 Fennec helicopters that were drawn down are now up for open tender.