Source : Strait Times (Note: Aisa1 Web Link available for only 3 daysBattle' in the sky for $2b Mindef dealF-15 Strike Eagle and Dassault Rafale to take part in intensive flight trials after airshow to prove the planes work well in S'pore weather
By David Boey
DON'T be surprised to see warplanes like the F-15 Strike Eagle or Dassault Rafale roaring through Singapore skies weeks after the Asian Aerospace airshow winds up this weekend.
These jet fighters, flown here for the airshow, will remain for flight tests, part of the last few rounds left in a three-cornered battle with the Eurofighter Typhoon for a $2-billion deal to replace Singapore's ageing A-4 Super Skyhawks.
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During the trials, the new fighters are expected to be pitted against front-line aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), like the F-16C/D and upgraded F-5 Tiger II.
The Defence Ministry told The Straits Times yesterday that 20 new fighters will be bought in two batches once a decision is made next year. 'In the first stage, we intend to acquire between eight and 12 aircraft, with the remainder to be acquired over the subsequent five years,' said a spokesman.
Defence contractors vying for the deal are pulling out all the stops for what could well be the last major fighter deal in the Asia-Pacific this decade.
Mindef's evaluation is now at a crucial stage. The upcoming flight tests are designed in part to convince Mindef that the warplanes work as advertised in Singapore weather.
As such, French defence contractor Dassault is sending a single-seat Rafale to join the twin-seater already here, for the intensive flight trials lasting about three weeks.
Two F-15s are also expected to remain here for similar trials.
The Typhoon could not make it down for the airshow, as the few Typhoons produced are still being evaluated by air forces in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, explained a BAE Systems spokesman. But it will be seen over Singapore skies around June for the trials, in its first trip outside Europe.
He said: 'While we would be delighted to see Europe's newest swing role combat aircraft displaying alongside established airshow stalwarts such as F-16, F-15 and Rafale, our priorities must lie with the evaluation programme.'
At the airshow yesterday, the marketing men from three companies were hard at work. Mr Thomas Lillis, Asia-Pacific director of Boeing's integrated defence system, minced no words when he said the F-15 was clearly superior to its rivals and 'has proven itself in combat'. He said 48 F-15s destroyed 60 per cent of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard division during the Iraq war last year.
Selling the F-15's range and speed, he added: 'We're faster, we go farther and we carry more (weapons)... From a customer who wants to use this airplane either as a deterrent or in actual combat, it's pretty lethal.'
The Typhoon may not be battle-tested, but its makers hope to swing the deal by pledging that 'export customers' may be allowed to make certain components of the plane.
'We're prepared to give a full technology transfer,' said Mr Mike Rouse, group marketing director at BAE Systems, who explained that this sweetener would bring top-tier aerospace know-how to the customer's aviation industry.
The significance of deal sweeteners has not been lost on the French, who have indicated that Singapore could develop an advanced radar for the Rafale - if it bought the aircraft.
Other incentives would include greater access to air force training areas in France, where an RSAF A-4 training squadron is already based.
Mindef's intention to announce a winner next year means Asian Aerospace 2004 will be the last chance for the three plane makers to woo the home crowd.
The result: four F-15 Strike Eagles at the airshow (the largest ever contingent of F-15s at the event), piles of colourful warplane posters, glossy brochures, CDs with plane images, and an assortment of aircraft keepsakes like pins, caps, badges and scarfs to keep souvenir hunters happy.
The Rafale and F-15 will also take to the skies off Changi Point during the airshow's daily aerial display to show off their manoeuvrability. Catch them between 11.30am and 1pm till Saturday and between 11.30am and 1.10pm on Sunday.