The recently completed Red Flag 14-3 at Nellis AFB, Nev., marked a new first for relations between USAF and Singapore’s Air Force, with the debut of Singapore’s top fighter. The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s 428th Fighter Squadron sent 8 F-15SGs to Nellis in early July, along with 8 F-16s, CH-47s, and some 290 personnel from Singaporean detachments co-located at US bases. The US has been working to expand defense cooperation with Singapore, particularly through multilateral events. The Singaporeans joined 83 other aircraft at the exercise, as well as a French C-130. “This high-end exercise provides the RSAF with an opportunity to benchmark itself against other leading air forces,” said Lt. Col. Tham Yeow Min, the RSAF detachment commander. Red Flag 14-3 also marked the first time RSAF’s top of the line F-15SG fighters participated in Nellis’ Red Flag franchise. Tham noted the RSAF has always done well at the Nellis event, and the F-15SG crews “will continue to uphold the high standards.” The RSAF’s 428th FS is based at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, home of the “Peace Carvin V” program between the US and Singapore. The base also serves as the schoolhouse for all RSAF F-15SG training.
Exasperated with the delays to the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 update—which has held up deliveries of completed fighters since last fall—the House Armed Services Committee wants to slash the military services’ fiscal 2025 F-35 purchase by at least 10 aircraft and as much as 20.