AFM correspondent Alan Warnes caught this F-15SG in the static display at LIMA 17 at Langkawi International Airport in Malaysia. Assigned to the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 149 Squadron ‘Shikras’ at Paya Lebar Air Base, 8319 was loaded with several types of laser-guided bomb (LGB).
Singapore ordered 12 F-15s plus eight options in December 2005 after a long selection process to replace the last of the RSAF’s fleet of locally upgraded A-4SU Super Skyhawks. Based on the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-15SG is equipped with an Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 AESA radar, Sniper pods, Link 16 advanced datalinks and Tigereye infra-red search and track (IRST).
Air-to-ground weaponry includes Paveway II LGBs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs). GBU-54 dual-mode Laser JDAMs are also in use.
In 2007 Singapore announced that it was exercising the eight options and adding four more aircraft to the order.
Despite earlier reports that the RSAF has 24 F-15SGs, a count of the airframes in Singapore and the United States indicates that there are 32 aircraft currently in service. In addition, the unexplained appearance of eight more F-15SGs on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft registry in June 2014 suggests the RSAF could have as many as 40 F-15s.
Recent Comments