OPS & TRAINING

FROM ROAD TO RUNWAY

11 Jan 2017

STORY // Koh Eng Beng
PHOTO // Chai Sian Liang & Kenneth Lin

From road to runway

Story Koh Eng Beng | Photos Chai Sian Liang & Kenneth Lin

The Air Force shows it can launch fighter jets from a public road should the situation call for it. Find out what it takes to get runway-ready!

Fighter jets roar to the skies from Lim Chu Kang Road in quick succession at intervals of three to 10 seconds. As this happens, other fighter jets take off from the nearby Tengah Air Base.

In just under a minute, 12 fighter jets are in the air and ready to defend Singapore. This is Exercise Torrent, an alternate runway drill held on 13 Nov 2016 by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

A 2.5km stretch of Lim Chu Kang Road was converted into a makeshift airstrip. This is an important capability during wartime when runways might be damaged.

Four F-15SGs, ceight F-16s and nearly 1,000 personnel, including 500 Operationally Ready National Servicemen, took part in the drill.

PIONEER brings you all the thrilling action and behind-the-scenes preparations!

The F-15SG, the RSAF s latest fighter jet, is taking part in Exercise Torrent for the first time since the exercise series started in 1986.

RSAF personnel working with contractors to convert Lim Chu Kang Road into an airstrip.

These markers show the distance left (in thousands of feet) to the end of the runway. The pilots must time the descent of their aircraft precisely to avoid overshooting the runway.

The four-storey-high Mobile Air Traffic Control Tower gives the controllers a wide view of the makeshift airstrip.

A Foreign Object Debris sweeper clearing the makeshift runway of debris. It has a magnetic front that

The F-16's tail-hook latches onto a steel cable laid across the road, which eventually pulls the fighter jet to a stop during an emergency landing.

In less than 48 hours, they removed 12 bus stops, 14 traffic lights, 153 lamp posts, 58 road signs, and 1.2km of guard rails. These infrastructures have to be restored after the exercise for public use.

The Solar Portable Airfield Lighting System helps to guide the pilots when visibility is poor.

The Precision Approach Path Indicator guides the pilot on the correct path and angle of descent for landing.

The pilot has to land the F-15SG with precision on the 24m-wide Lim Chu Kang Road only about half the width of the Tengah Air Base runway

Security troopers patrol the improvised runway and vicinity of the air base round the clock.

The steel cable is connected to the Mobile Arrestor Gear System. Firmly anchored to the ground, the system absorbs the powerful kinetic energy from the fighter jet.

Tags:

january-2017-issue

Got a great story to share?
Send it our way — we might feature it!

Share Your Story

ALSO READ IN OPS & TRAINING

S’pore commandos, Indonesia special forces train & strengthen ties at Ex Chandrapura

08 Jul 26

From conducting tactical airborne jumps to a coordinated urban raid, soldiers from Singapore and Indonesia deepened their decades-long partnership in this bilateral army exercise.

SAF & Home Team to refresh Medical Classification System

13 Apr 2026

The refreshed system will allow about 1,200 servicemen annually to be deployed for vocations and roles they were ineligible for previously.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong observes SAF’s sense-strike integrated capabilities

09 Apr 2026

He witnessed the SAF’s ongoing efforts in leveraging advanced robotics and cross-Service integration to secure Singapore’s interests in an increasingly volatile world.

SAF detonates 250kg WWII bomb uncovered at Tanah Merah Coast Road

02 Apr 2026

On 2 Apr, the SAF’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team successfully disposed of an unexploded war relic found at Tanah Merah Coast Road.