Singapore F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes

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Wednesday, 8 May 2024 – 16:58 WIB

Singapore – Fighter jets F-16 belonging to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fell at Tengah Air Base, shortly after takeoff on Wednesday afternoon, May 8, 2024.

The plane experienced problems while taking off at around 12.35pm, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defense (MINDEF). He added that pilot managed to eject from the plane.

“The pilot is conscious and able to walk. He received medical treatment. “No other personnel were injured,” said the ministry, quoted from Channel News Asia, Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said the pilot did not suffer serious injuries.

“He can walk, is conscious and can talk. But as a precaution, (he) will stay in hospital for observation,” said Dr Ng in his Facebook post.

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Apart from that, the pilot’s vigilance and compliance with safety procedures for ejecting was the reason that his life could still be saved.

MINDEF said the investigation was ongoing and added that it would provide updated information as soon as it was available.

For information, Singapore has operated F-16s for almost 30 years.

The last time one of its fighter jets crashed was 20 years ago in May 2004, when an RSAF F-16C crashed during a night training mission in the US state of Arizona.

The crash killed the 25-year-old Singaporean pilot who was initially reported missing.

The inquiry board concluded that the incident was caused by human factors, and said that the pilot may have experienced a loss of consciousness or spatial disorientation due to gravity, resulting in his inability to recover the aircraft from an inverted position.

Dr Ng said although the RSAF had a credible security record, he was clearly disappointed by Wednesday’s incident. “The RSAF’s goal remains zero accidents,” he said.

A full investigation is underway to ensure all factors are identified and remedied decisively.

Singapore’s F-16 fleet was recently upgraded to increase its capabilities and maintain operational readiness until the mid-2030s.

These upgrades include an Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar that allows the F-16 to track and engage multiple targets from long distances, as well as an all-weather ground attack capability that allows it to engage targets with more capable precision munitions.

The aging F-16 fleet will eventually be replaced by Lockheed Martin’s F-35 family of jets.

Singapore announced in February that it would buy eight F-35A jets, adding to its previous order of 12 B variant F-35 jets.