RSAF HONES COMBAT SKILLS AT EXERCISE PITCH BLACK

With a seemingly endless roar, more than 80 fighter jets took to the skies in quick succession. The blazing orange flames from their engines burn bright against the pitch darkness, making it a sight to behold.

Unknown to most, a fierce battle is taking place in the skies above Darwin, Australia - a fight between two opposing forces in a contest for airspace. Among them are the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) F-15SGs and F-16C/Ds.

These aircraft are participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2016, a large-scale multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Darwin. More than 2,800 personnel and 115 aircraft from 10 countries are taking part in the aerial contest. Among them are air force personnel from Australia, the United States (US) and Thailand, and new players like Canada and Germany.

Held from 29 Jul to 19 Aug, the biennial exercise involves aerial assets from participating nations conducting air-to-air combat, air-to-ground and ground-to-air attacks against simulated threats in a challenging and realistic training environment under both day and night conditions.

The RSAF deployed eight F-15SGs, six F-16C/Ds, a Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW) aircraft and a KC-135R air-to-air refuelling tanker for this exercise. In addition, two I-Hawk Ground-Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems and an Agile Multiple Beam radar are being reintroduced after a 10-year hiatus.

The exercise provides an excellent opportunity for RSAF personnel to conduct large-scale realistic training with the other countries' air forces while building interoperability, said RSAF Exercise Director Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) David Lim.

For instance, participating alongside foreign air forces allows the RSAF to understand the former's capabilities at a deeper level in order to make the most out of each other's assets in an operation.

The 42-year-old SLTC Lim said: "One of the key competencies (we have developed) is the ability to put together different assets and capabilities from different nations to develop tactics and strategy and game plans to integrate the various platforms together to achieve mission success."

Training in the vast Australian airspace also allows both the fighters and GBAD operators to perform challenging attack manoeuvres and weapon attacks respectively. The practice of these capabilities is much more muted in Singapore given the limited airspace.

GBAD planner Captain (CPT) Benjamin Chua felt that the exercise provided a good exposure for the I-Hawk operators as they were exposed to aerial tactics which they had not encountered back in Singapore.

One of the mission scenarios that the I-Hawk operators were tasked with was to establish a 40km missile engagement zone to protect convoys and key installations against an opposing force's air attacks. They were faced with the mammoth task of protecting their base against 18 multinational fighter aircraft, which came in multi-axis attacks.

While this was initially a culture shock for the operators, they learnt to refine their tactics quickly.

The 30-year-old CPT Chua said: "Being exposed to tactics employed by other air forces, such as the US Air Force and the RAAF allows us to further improve our tactics and weapon employment skills.

"We can (now) time when we can shoot with the highest probability of kill and maximise our survivability while minimising the chance of us being detected by hostile aircraft."

For RSAF's Mission Director and F-16C/D pilot LTC (NS) Ong Swee Chuan, participating in the exercise was a good way for him to keep up his currency as an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman pilot.

The 45-year-old, who is currently a pilot with Tiger Airways, left the RSAF in 2014. However, his love for flying the F-16C/D never ceased and he jumped at the opportunity to volunteer his services for the exercise.

As Mission Director, the father of two had to mentor mission commanders and guide them on the best way to accomplish the mission in the safest and most effective manner. This was his third time as a Mission Director for the Exercise Pitch Black series.

LTC (NS) Ong said: "I may be one of the more experienced guys in the RSAF, but I always learn something with every exercise that I participate in. Whether it is new technology or tactics, it is always a good learning experience."

He revealed that another reason he volunteered was to share his knowledge and experience with the young pilots and commented that he will continue to volunteer his services for as long as he is able to.

"I also want to make sure that I do not get too rusty in my tactical knowledge because when the button is pressed, I have to make sure that I'm good at what I'm doing," said F-16C/D pilot.

On working with the RSAF, RAAF's Commanding Officer of Number 77 Squadron, Wing Commander Grant Burr, felt that it was a good learning experience as both countries were very similar when it came to conducting air operations. His squadron was among those taking part in the exercise.

Commander Burr said: "We have been trading pointers on how to conduct operations better. This experience is an opportunity for both the RAAF and the RSAF to enhance interoperability and relations."

Referring to the RSAF as a trusted partner, RAAF's Exercise Director, Group Captain Glen Braz, said: "The RSAF is on a great vector in terms of capabilities and the fleet and people are outstanding. The trick is now training as we may need to fight, and the diversity of missions that we may do together as a region.

"There is no doubt that with great air forces like the RSAF and RAAF, we can do much together for regional peace and security and that is very important."

As part of the exercise, the RSAF's F-15SG and F-16C/D performed an aerial flypast alongside several international military aircraft over Mindil Beach, Darwin on 11 Aug. The F-15SG will also be displayed at the Pitch Black Open Day in RAAF Base Darwin on 13 Aug, for the public to get up close and personal with the aircraft.