Singapore reveals upgraded Victory class missile corvettes plus US-Singapore Carat 2011 exercise:
From this video, it can be seen that the Victory class corvette is now equipped with new mast (similar to Fearless class) and brand new Sea Giraffe 3d phased array radar.
Sea Giraffe 3D radar:
By the way, these ships are more powerful than many frigates - 16 Barak anti-air missiles (12 km), 8 Harpoons (>130km), torpedos, 76mm super rapid gun and more. Singapore has 6 of them.
Singapore also uses the land based Girrafe AMD radar which can detect even small mortar and artillery shells and points of origin of artillery/rocket fire up 100-180km. Yes, it is better than Arthur artillery radar and i think it is used in combination with Arthur.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has deployed a task group in support of international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden for the third time. Led by Senior Lieutenant Colonel Richard Lim, Commanding Officer of 191 Squadron, the 229-strong SAF task group comprises a Republic of Singapore Navy Landing Ship Tank (LST), RSS Endeavour, with two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Super Puma helicopters on board. During its three-month deployment, it will operate under the ambit of the multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to undertake operations to disrupt piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden.
Officiating at the send-off ceremony held at the Changi Naval Base this evening, Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng reaffirmed Singapore's commitment towards international efforts to safeguard shipping in this key sea lane. He added: "During the deployment, the task group will conduct area surveillance and patrols in order to contribute to CTF 151's situational awareness. The task group will also be ready to respond to calls for assistance from ships encountering pirate attacks." RADM Ng also noted that the deployment will provide the SAF with a valuable opportunity to gain operational experiences in a multinational setting.
Prior to this deployment, the SAF had deployed two task groups since April 2009, each comprising an LST and two Super Puma helicopters. In addition, an RSAF Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft was recently deployed from April to July 2011 to support the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. The SAF was also in command of CTF 151 from January to April 2010, as well as from March to June this year.
The thing about SAF is that when you (the enemy) are targetted by our sensors, you will not be facing a single kind of attack but many kinds of attacks all at once. For example, if an enemy artillery piece is targetted, it will face precision attacks from F16s, F15s, Apache Longbows, Himars, Primus SPHs, FH 2000 155mm field howitzers and more. If you are targetted, you are dead. With Singapore, you fight the entire system and not individual units.
The thing about SAF is that when you (the enemy) are targetted by our sensors ...
belacan79 Post at 13-9-2011 10:53 PM
waa..u ni really2 dasyat la... you need to reply to yourself telling that singapore is so powerful...never thought kiasu would be this bad...man you really need to see a doctor...
The RSAF's G550-AEW "Phalcon" aircraft (centre) flying in tight formation in Korat, Thailand during Exercise Cope Tiger. This was the aircraft's maiden participation in an overseas training exercise.
The G550-AEW "Phalcon" aircraft replaced the E-2C AEW "Hawkeyes" and has a detection range of more than 400km. Its AESA evolved "Phalcon" radar system can see both air and land targets.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Aug. 23, 2011) The Republic of Singapore Navy frigate RSS Supreme (FFG 73), front, leads the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), the Republic of Singapore Navy corvette RSS Vigour (FFG 92), and RSS Stalwart (FFG 72) in a formation. The ships are participating in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Singapore 2011. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Ryan Smith)
Singapore and Australian Armies in Bilateral Armour Exercise
The Singapore and Australian armies conducted a bilateral armour exercise, Exercise Matilda, at the Mount Bundey Training Area (MBTA) in Darwin, Australia. Held from 28 August to 16 September 2011, Exercise Matilda 2011 involved 100 personnel from the 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) who conducted bilateral training with their Australian Defence Force (ADF) counterparts from the 1st Armoured Regiment. During the exercise, both sides conducted a series of tactical missions together and exchanged information on Main Battle Tank (MBT) operations and tactics. The exercise culminated today in manoeuvre training involving the MBTs of both armies.
Highlighting the value of Exercise Matilda, Lieutenant Colonel Lim Kah Keng, Commanding Officer of 48 SAR, said, "Exercise Matilda 2011 is important because it provides an opportunity for the SAF armour to operate alongside the ADF in vast manoeuvre space and challenging live firing conditions to hone gunnery competencies. The exercise also allows soldiers from both armies to interact and learn from each other."
The exercise is a testament to the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Australia. The SAF and the ADF interact extensively through multilateral training exercises, visits, professional exchanges, and military courses, and work together in close partnership in the multinational reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.
The thing about SAF is that when you (the enemy) are targetted by our sensors ...
belacan79 Post at 13-9-2011 22:53
but you forget one thing....... untuk memusnahkan naga......cari kelemahannya bukan dgn memotong misainya............... SAF banyak kelemahannya yg tak perlu dinyatakan kat sini......... biarlah pakar yg menentukannya......... he he he....
secara logiknya kalau singapura mempunyai keupayaan serangan balas yang sebegitu baik...takan la jiran jiran memandang rendah keupayaan tersebut.... dan semestinya alternatif dan strategi terbaik dicari......... negara lain pun belajar kelemhan untuk melawan jiran yang besar cita citanya..........he he he he........ apapun elakan peperangan adalah strategi terbaik kedua dua belah pihak..... negara a hidup aman ..negara b pun hidup aman......... cuma perlu atas batasan bila bercakap......
Logic does not always work in the real world - especially the decisions of nation states and political parties.
I read long ago that real peace is achieved through the acquisition of a certain quantity of arms and not any downgrading/downsizing of arms of any sort; together with the respective circumstances of each country - geography, influence, alliances, money, etc.
Singapore launched studies at buying F35B Lightning 2s.
With the beginning of at-sea trials for the Lockheed Martin F-35B, the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant had entered the most critical phase in a year-long campaign to overcome probation and be spared cancellation.
For the next two to six weeks, two F-35B flight test aircraft will attempt to prove the proposed successor to the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II can operate aboard the US Marine Corps' relatively small amphibious carriers.
No signs of trouble were apparent in a video released by the US Naval Air Systems Command of aircraft BF-2's first landing on the USS Wasp on 3 October. The aircraft was landed by pilot Lt Col Fred Schenk.
But programme officials will continue to scrutinise every detail of the F-35B's performance at sea in the coming weeks.
The Marines expect to learn that at least some adaptations are necessary in the shift from the Harrier II, which has an empty weight of 6,340kg (13,977lb), to the minimum 13,600kg of the F-35B.
"There's no doubt in my mind we will learn things," said Lt Gen Terry Robling, the USMC's deputy commandant for aviation.
The programme, however, can afford few unpleasant surprises, as US budget pressures have made any programme facing cost and schedule challenges vulnerable.
As the most technically ambitious variant of the type, the F-35B has been a frequent source of the issues that have delayed the overall programme by at least five years.
In 2004, programme officials extended the development of all three variants by two years to redesign the F-35B, which was overweight by more than 1,400kg.
Last year, the F-35B faced its biggest problem yet, with flight tests slowed by five design problems in the propulsion system and durability tests halted after a bulkhead cracked.
Around the same time, the UK converted planned orders for 138 F-35Bs to the large-deck carrier-based F-35C variant.
Even the USMC scaled back its acquisition plans earlier this year, agreeing to buy 80 F-35Cs instead of some STOVL variants.
These issues left the F-35B programme on probation, with remaining commitments from the Marines to buy 340 and the Italian navy to order 62.
In February, Robert Gates - then US secretary of defense - said the F-35B could be cancelled if any new problems are discovered.
Almost as suddenly, however, the F-35B programme started to recover. Temporary fixes allowed the F-35B's propulsion system to resume STOVL-mode flight tests.
The programme has amassed about 180 vertical landings so far this year, compared with 10 in 2011.
The cracked bulkhead has been patched up and redesigned and three of the five glitches in the propulsion system are already permanently fixed.
Of the remaining two issues, one fix is scheduled to be approved in December, and the last problem should be resolved in February 2012, Robling added.
Although the F-35 was grounded for 16 days in August, the electrical system at the root of the problem is common to all three variants.
Meanwhile, programme officials also appear to have resolved a 90.7kg performance shortfall in the vertical lift bring-back weight of the F-35B in hover while returning to a ship.
Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has confirmed the solution includes raising the output of the propulsion system by about 100lb-thrust (0.4kN).
Programme officials still hope for more orders, and Spain is considered a potential buyer of the F-35B.
Meanwhile, Singapore - a security co-operation participant in the F-35 joint programme office - has launched studies aimed at considering the STOVL variant, said Gregg Pyers, lift fan programme director for UK-based Rolls-Royce.
The question remains whether the F-35B's progress to date will prove enough to satisfy a new regime, as the US Department of Defense enters a period of budgetary uncertainty.
Leon Panetta, who succeeded Gates in August, has not commented directly on the F-35's future, but the signs paint a gloomy picture for the development programme.
Last month, US Air Force leaders predicted that the F-35 production ramp-up could be further tweaked when the DoD releases its next six-year spending plan in February.
Moreover, the US Senate's powerful appropriations committee voted to freeze F-35 production through 2014.
In the next few weeks, the focus for the F-35B's supporters will be simply clearing the shipboard trials.
No matter what those tests reveal, it is clear the programme's future is still anybody's guess.
Even Robling is unsure. He said: "My guess is [Panetta] will continue it - if the budget will allow it."
However, I think Singapore will buy a mix of F35A and F35B. We have indicated that we want as many as 100 F35s to be purchased in several batches to replace the 49 F5 S/T and 70 plus F16s.
Videos of F35B:
In addition, Singapore will most likely add on to the F15SGs (as opposed to buying a 3rd type of jet) - another 24 or more F15SG. Ill watch next years Singapore Airshow very intently.
What is more interesting is that if Singapore does buy the F35B, she can operate if from the Endurance LHD, turning it into a VSTOL aircraft carrier. The baseline Endurance LHD would need some modifications of course - longer deck or ramp.
Post time 5-9-2011 03:49 PM
