SINGAPORE: A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-16 jet crashed at Tengah Air Base shortly after taking off on Wednesday afternoon (May 8).
The plane experienced "an issue" during take-off at about 12.35pm, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), adding that the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft and no one else was hurt.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen later said that the pilot did not suffer major injuries and is "conscious" but he will "stay in hospital for observation" as a precaution.
CNA looks at the fighter jet, the frontline role it plays and its many years of service in the RSAF.
A multi-role tactical fighter with full air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities, the F-16 was originally built by the General Dynamics Corporation, now Lockheed Martin, for the US Air Force (USAF).
The fighter jet took its first test flight in 1974 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Designed to be lightweight and agile, it can perform a number of roles including air support to ground operations as well as air-to-air fighting.
The jet has been flown by more than 20 other air forces, including the RSAF. Over 4,400 aircraft have been delivered worldwide.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) F-16 fighter jets in aerobatic manoeuvres over Marina Bay at National Day Parade 2022. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
There has been a number of crashes involving the USAF's F-16s in recent times. In December last year, one of its jets crashed in South Korea during a training exercise. Another crash occured in waters off the same country a month later, making it
According to 2021 statistics by the Air Force Safety Center, the USAF lost 33 F-16s from fiscal years 2010 to 2021.
In May 2004, an RSAF F-16C aircraft crashed during a night training mission in the US state of Arizona, killing 25-year-old Singaporean pilot Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, who was initially reported missing.
A board of inquiry concluded that the incident was due to human factor, saying the pilot could have experienced gravity-induced loss of consciousness or spatial disorientation, which resulted in his inability to recover the aircraft from an inverted position.
Two years prior, another RSAF F-16C aircraft crashed in Arizona while on a routine training flight.
The aircraft was flown by a United States Air Force pilot under the Peace Carvin II (PC II) training arrangement. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft.
An RSAF F-16 aircraft also experienced a malfunction last November, leading to its landing at Changi Airport.
Singapore's F-16 journey began as far back as 1988 when the US government agreed to the Peace Carvin programme at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
Under the agreement, the RSAF acquired an initial batch of eight F-16A/Bs which replaced the Hawker Hunter fleet in 1988.
"The F-16s heralded a new era of multi-role fighter capabilities for the RSAF. These fighters featured onboard radars and weapon systems that could see and fire at targets beyond visual range," said Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How said in a speech last year.
Singapore would go on to purchase 18 F-16C/Ds in 1994 and the first of the jets was delivered in 1998.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16C at the Singapore Airshow 2022. (File photo: CNA/Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
In a press release that year marking its first F-16C/D, MINDEF described the jets as "among the most sophisticated and advanced multi-role fighters in the world".
"The F-16C/D was selected by the RSAF as it is the most costeffective aircraft to meet Singapore's defence and security needs," it said.
"It also satisfies the RSAF's requirements in terms of operations, life-cycle costs, logistic supportability and prospects for upgrade in the future."
In 2015, the US State Department approved the sale of upgrades to Singapore for 60 F-16 jets, at an estimated cost of US$130 million.
Upgrades started the following year, with enhancements taking place in phases since then.
Former Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Kelvin Khong said in February 2022 that the RSAF's fleet of F-16C/Ds is being upgraded in phases, and it started taking delivery of the upgraded F-16s in June 2021.
These upgrades enhance the F-16s capabilities and keep them operationally ready until the mid-2030s, MINDEF said.
The upgrades include a new Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar to allow the F-16 to track and engage multiple targets from farther away, as well as an all-weather, ground-attack capability that enables it to strike targets with more capable precision munitions.
The new upgrades will also equip the jets with modern air-to-air missiles such as the Python-5 missile, enabling it to engage a wide spectrum of air threats for enhanced lethality and survivability.
With its new Air-to-Ground munitions system, the F-16 jets can also strike targets with greater accuracy in both day and night conditions using munitions such as the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition.
In a fast-paced air combat environment, the upgraded F-16s will also be able to facilitate information exchange through its new Link-16 datalink capability, which allows the sharing of target information with other aircraft and ground forces. This can prevent the dual targeting and redundant employment of weapons.
Modern advanced air-to-air weapons will equip the aircraft with the capability to engage a wide spectrum of air threats within visual ranges, while a datalink capability and advanced helmet mounted display will provide the pilot with greater situational awareness.
In 2019, Singapore first announced that it would buy four F-35B fighter jets for complete testing with the option for eight more.
While the F-35Bs will eventually replace the RSAF's ageing fleet of F-16s - the plan is for them to be retired from the mid-2030s - they have "at least another decade" of service for Singapore.
"We will continue to operate these (F-16) fighter aircraft for at least another decade and are working towards replacing the F-16s at the end of their operational life," MG Khong said in February 2022.
In September 2021, MINDEF told CNA that "on average, RSAF fighter aircraft are deployed to investigate and deal with 350 potential air threats each year".
The Defence Ministry was then responding to a report of a Malaysian police helicopter that flew into Singapore airspace that month.
These "potential air threats" have resulted in Singapore's F-16s being scrambled on a number of occasions over the past few years.
Two F-16 jets were scrambled in August last year in response to a civilian helicopter, said the Defence Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
"After ensuring that our security was not compromised, the F-16s were subsequently stood down," the authorities then said.
In September 2022, RSAF F-16 jets also escorted a Singapore Airlines plane that had departed from San Francisco after a male passenger allegedly assaulted cabin crew and claimed he had a bomb in his carry-on bag, ensuring its safe landing at Changi Airport.
The bomb threat was subsequently verified to be false, MINDEF then said. The man was sentenced to four weeks' jail in November 2022 for slapping a cabin crew member.
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The plane experienced "an issue" during take-off at about 12.35pm, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), adding that the pilot successfully ejected from the aircraft and no one else was hurt.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen later said that the pilot did not suffer major injuries and is "conscious" but he will "stay in hospital for observation" as a precaution.
CNA looks at the fighter jet, the frontline role it plays and its many years of service in the RSAF.
What type of fighter jet is the F-16?
A multi-role tactical fighter with full air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities, the F-16 was originally built by the General Dynamics Corporation, now Lockheed Martin, for the US Air Force (USAF).
The fighter jet took its first test flight in 1974 at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Designed to be lightweight and agile, it can perform a number of roles including air support to ground operations as well as air-to-air fighting.
What is the F-16's safety record?
The jet has been flown by more than 20 other air forces, including the RSAF. Over 4,400 aircraft have been delivered worldwide.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) F-16 fighter jets in aerobatic manoeuvres over Marina Bay at National Day Parade 2022. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
There has been a number of crashes involving the USAF's F-16s in recent times. In December last year, one of its jets crashed in South Korea during a training exercise. Another crash occured in waters off the same country a month later, making it
According to 2021 statistics by the Air Force Safety Center, the USAF lost 33 F-16s from fiscal years 2010 to 2021.
When was the last crash involving an RSAF F-16?
In May 2004, an RSAF F-16C aircraft crashed during a night training mission in the US state of Arizona, killing 25-year-old Singaporean pilot Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, who was initially reported missing.
A board of inquiry concluded that the incident was due to human factor, saying the pilot could have experienced gravity-induced loss of consciousness or spatial disorientation, which resulted in his inability to recover the aircraft from an inverted position.
Two years prior, another RSAF F-16C aircraft crashed in Arizona while on a routine training flight.
The aircraft was flown by a United States Air Force pilot under the Peace Carvin II (PC II) training arrangement. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft.
An RSAF F-16 aircraft also experienced a malfunction last November, leading to its landing at Changi Airport.
How long have the F-16s been part of RSAF's fleet?
Singapore's F-16 journey began as far back as 1988 when the US government agreed to the Peace Carvin programme at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
Under the agreement, the RSAF acquired an initial batch of eight F-16A/Bs which replaced the Hawker Hunter fleet in 1988.
"The F-16s heralded a new era of multi-role fighter capabilities for the RSAF. These fighters featured onboard radars and weapon systems that could see and fire at targets beyond visual range," said Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How said in a speech last year.
Singapore would go on to purchase 18 F-16C/Ds in 1994 and the first of the jets was delivered in 1998.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16C at the Singapore Airshow 2022. (File photo: CNA/Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
In a press release that year marking its first F-16C/D, MINDEF described the jets as "among the most sophisticated and advanced multi-role fighters in the world".
"The F-16C/D was selected by the RSAF as it is the most costeffective aircraft to meet Singapore's defence and security needs," it said.
"It also satisfies the RSAF's requirements in terms of operations, life-cycle costs, logistic supportability and prospects for upgrade in the future."
How have Singapore's F-16s been upgraded over the years?
In 2015, the US State Department approved the sale of upgrades to Singapore for 60 F-16 jets, at an estimated cost of US$130 million.
Upgrades started the following year, with enhancements taking place in phases since then.
Former Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Kelvin Khong said in February 2022 that the RSAF's fleet of F-16C/Ds is being upgraded in phases, and it started taking delivery of the upgraded F-16s in June 2021.
These upgrades enhance the F-16s capabilities and keep them operationally ready until the mid-2030s, MINDEF said.
The upgrades include a new Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar to allow the F-16 to track and engage multiple targets from farther away, as well as an all-weather, ground-attack capability that enables it to strike targets with more capable precision munitions.
The new upgrades will also equip the jets with modern air-to-air missiles such as the Python-5 missile, enabling it to engage a wide spectrum of air threats for enhanced lethality and survivability.
With its new Air-to-Ground munitions system, the F-16 jets can also strike targets with greater accuracy in both day and night conditions using munitions such as the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition.
In a fast-paced air combat environment, the upgraded F-16s will also be able to facilitate information exchange through its new Link-16 datalink capability, which allows the sharing of target information with other aircraft and ground forces. This can prevent the dual targeting and redundant employment of weapons.
Modern advanced air-to-air weapons will equip the aircraft with the capability to engage a wide spectrum of air threats within visual ranges, while a datalink capability and advanced helmet mounted display will provide the pilot with greater situational awareness.
What is their operational lifespan?
In 2019, Singapore first announced that it would buy four F-35B fighter jets for complete testing with the option for eight more.
While the F-35Bs will eventually replace the RSAF's ageing fleet of F-16s - the plan is for them to be retired from the mid-2030s - they have "at least another decade" of service for Singapore.
"We will continue to operate these (F-16) fighter aircraft for at least another decade and are working towards replacing the F-16s at the end of their operational life," MG Khong said in February 2022.
How do RSAF F-16s act as a strong deterrent against air threats?
In September 2021, MINDEF told CNA that "on average, RSAF fighter aircraft are deployed to investigate and deal with 350 potential air threats each year".
The Defence Ministry was then responding to a report of a Malaysian police helicopter that flew into Singapore airspace that month.
These "potential air threats" have resulted in Singapore's F-16s being scrambled on a number of occasions over the past few years.
Two F-16 jets were scrambled in August last year in response to a civilian helicopter, said the Defence Ministry and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
"After ensuring that our security was not compromised, the F-16s were subsequently stood down," the authorities then said.
In September 2022, RSAF F-16 jets also escorted a Singapore Airlines plane that had departed from San Francisco after a male passenger allegedly assaulted cabin crew and claimed he had a bomb in his carry-on bag, ensuring its safe landing at Changi Airport.
The bomb threat was subsequently verified to be false, MINDEF then said. The man was sentenced to four weeks' jail in November 2022 for slapping a cabin crew member.
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