Rising 50 and beyond

A 50-year-long friendship between two countries reflecting trust and mutual understanding. This was what made the historic combined flypast by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) on 7 Sep -- the largest and most complex between the RSAF and any foreign air force -- possible, said Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Mervyn Tan.

"Today's flypast is really a historical first for both air forces, the Republic of Singapore Air Force as well as the TNI-AU. It's the first time that both our air forces have come together to do a flypast of that kind of complexity (and) scale. I think the flypast really is a testament of the skill as well as the professionalism of the pilots of both our air forces. But more important than that, is that it underscores the trust and mutual understanding between the personnel of both our air forces," said MG Tan of the special flypast to commemorate "RISING 50" -- 50 years of diplomatic ties between Singapore and Indonesia.

He added: "In fact, that warm friendship between our two air forces is a reflection of that warm relationship between our two countries, Singapore and Indonesia."

Chief of Staff of the TNI-AU Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Hadi Tjahjanto echoed his sentiments, saying: "Today is a special day for us. This achievement is a reflection of the strong relationship between us, and the high level of trust that is shared between the personnel of TNI-AU and the RSAF. I believe the military cooperation between TNI-AU and the RSAF will be everlasting and we will always support each other."

MG Tan and ACM Hadi were speaking to the media at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, where they had landed after flying in their respective air forces' F-16 fighter jets in the flypast.

Ten F-16 aircraft from the RSAF and 10 from the TNI-AU flew over the Marina South area and Batam, Indonesia, beginning with an arrowhead formation led by the RSAF. The fighter jets later regrouped to form the number "50", with TNI-AU forming the "5" and RSAF forming the "0". Finally, five RSAF F-15SG fighter jets performed a bomb burst manoeuvre as a salute to both nations.

At the Marina Bay Cruise Centre, the flypast was witnessed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, as part of their Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat. Together with the two leaders, ministers and senior officials from both countries were all treated to a joint military band performance by the Singapore Armed Forces Band and TNI Academy Drum Band.

Following the retreat, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen announced that the SAF-TNI Counter-Terrorism Table Top Exercise would take place from 27 to 30 Nov.

Over at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base, MG Tan and ACM Hadi joined the TNI-AU for a celebration of 50 years of close ties between the two countries. They met with the participants of the flypast as well as members of the organising committee and senior officers. During the visit, they presented special "RISING 50" patches to the mission leads of the flypast and also exchanged coins and commemorative gifts.

The flypast was certainly a memorable one, especially for RSAF mission lead Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Tan Hwee Roy. Although the team had faced poor weather conditions during the rehearsals, they had clear skies on the actual day, allowing them to give their best performance.

"Today was an extraordinary experience. We have been working together, LTC Yoga Ambara (the TNI-AU flight lead) and I, for more than two weeks now. It all culminated today when we flew -- I hope -- a perfect formation, on time, over the show centres in Singapore and Indonesia. It was a fantastic experience for me. And I hope that everybody down on the ground enjoyed the show because we certainly enjoyed flying together to give everybody this flypast today," said the 40-year-old Commanding Officer (CO) of 140 Squadron.

Co-mission lead LTC Yoga agreed. Said the 39-year-old CO of 3 Squadron: "This is our first time collaborating and I'm quite happy and proud that we are working together. This is a new history for Singapore and Indonesia and we accomplished the mission very well."