Difference between revisions of "Tengah Air Base"

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'''Tengah Air Base''' is a [[military airbase]] of the [[Republic of Singapore Air Force]] located at [[Tengah, Singapore|Tengah]], in the western part of [[Singapore]]. The airbase is the most important airfield of the RSAF as it houses the bulk of RSAF's fixed-wing frontline squadrons, home to all of RSAF's [[Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye|E-2C Hawkeye]]s (to be replaced by the [[Gulfstream Aerospace|Gulfstream]]/[[Israel Aerospace Industries|IAI]] [[Gulfstream G550#Variants|G550 CAEW]]), most of the [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16C/D Fighting Falcons]] and a large number of [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|UAVs]]. The air base goes by the motto of ''"Always Vigilant"'', which is supported by its main motif, a chess board [[Knight (chess)|Black Knight piece]] symbolic of the aircraft’s operational readiness in Tengah. The sword represents war’s heraldic sword of destruction, while the state is depicted by the castle.
'''Tengah Air Base''' is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Tengah, in the western part of Singapore. The airbase is the most important airfield of the RSAF as it houses the bulk of RSAF's fixed-wing frontline squadrons, home to all of RSAF's E-2C Hawkeyes (to be replaced by the Gulfstream/IAI G550 CAEW), most of the F-16C/D Fighting Falcons and a large number of UAVs. The air base goes by the motto of "Always Vigilant", which is supported by its main motif, a chess board Black Knight piece symbolic of the aircraft’s operational readiness in Tengah. The sword represents war’s heraldic sword of destruction, while the state is depicted by the castle.<br>


Prior to [[Singapore]]'s independence, it was a [[Royal Air Force station]] known as '''RAF Tengah'''.
Prior to Singapore's independence, it was a Royal Air Force station known as '''RAF Tengah'''. <br>
 
==History==
===RAF Tengah===
'''RAF Tengah''' was commissioned in 1939. Tengah airfield was the target of [[carpet bombing]] when seventeen Japanese navy bombers conducted the [[first air raid on Singapore]], shortly after the [[Battle of Malaya]] began. It was also the first airfield to be captured when Japanese forces [[Battle of Sarimbun Beach|invaded Singapore]].
 
After the Japanese capture of Singapore, ''Tengah'' came under the control of the [[Imperial Japanese Army Air Force]] while the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] took over the other two RAF stations of [[Sembawang Air Base|RAF Sembawang]] and [[Seletar Airport|RAF Seletar]] as Singapore was split into  north-south sphere of control. This effectively ensured that the Japanese Army took control of the south, including the administrative hub and population center of Singapore City, while the Japanese Navy took command of the north, which included the [[Singapore Naval Base|Royal Navy dockyard]] at [[Sembawang]].
 
====Malayan Emergency====
During the [[Malayan Emergency]], ''Tengah'' was used to house [[Avro Lincoln]]s of the Royal Air Force and [[Royal Australian Air Force]] which performed bombing missions on [[Communist terrorism|communist terrorist]] bases/hideouts of the [[Malayan Communist Party]] deep in the jungles of [[Peninsular Malaysia]]. In 1954, the Royal Air Force was re-equipped with [[De Havilland Venom]] FB.4's and [[De Havilland Vampire]] T.11's of [[No. 60 Squadron RAF|60 Squadron]], joined by [[No. 14 Squadron RNZAF|14 Squadron]] of the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]]. In 1958 they were joined by [[No. 45 Squadron RAF|45 Squadron]] and [[No. 75 Squadron RNZAF]], both equipped with  [[English Electric Canberra]] B.2. The RAAF retained their Lincolns, with [[No. 1 Squadron RAAF|1 Squadron]], until the end of the emergency.
 
====''Konfrontasi''====
During the period of [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]], the RAF deployed [[No. 74 Squadron RAF|74 Squadron]] with its [[English Electric Lightning]] F.6 followed by [[No. 20 Squadron RAF|20 Squadron]] with its [[Hawker Hunter]] fighter aircraft in addition to the [[Gloster Javelin]]s of 60 Squadron and [[No. 64 Squadron RAF|64 Squadron]], to the air base to help bolster the air defence of Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia against infrequent air incursions from the [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|MiG-21]]s and [[North American P-51 Mustang|P-51 Mustang]]s of the [[Indonesian Air Force]].
 
On September 3, 1964, an Indonesian Air Force [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]] crashed into the [[Straits of Malacca]] while [[List of C-130 Hercules crashes#.C2.A0Indonesia|trying to evade interception]] by a Javelin FAW.9 of 60 Squadron. On 30 April 1968, the Gloster Javelins of 60 Squadron flew their last RAF operational sorties from ''Tengah'' and the squadron was disbanded the same day.
 
As a show of force to deter the Indonesian President Sukarno from launching an all-out war during this period, the RAF also deployed a medium bomber force detachment to ''Tengah'' in the form of [[Handley Page Victor]] B.1A bombers from [[No. 15 Squadron RAF|15 Squadron]] in August 1963, which was rotated with those dispersed to [[RMAF Butterworth|RAAF Butterworth]] in Malaysia. The detachment of Victor bombers was replaced in October 1964 by a detachment of [[Avro Vulcan]] B.1A bombers from [[No. 12 Squadron RAF|12 Squadron]], these were subsequently pulled back to [[RAF Akrotiri]] in December that same year. In August 1965, [[No. 9 Squadron RAF|9 Squadron]] resumed RAF's Vulcan bomber detachment to ''Tengah'', followed by [[No. 35 Squadron RAF|35 Squadron]] in December 1965, these were in turn replaced by 9 Squadron again in February 1966. After June 1966, 9 Squadron returned to ''Akrotiri'' following the end of the confrontation.
 
According to British MoD documents declassified in 2000, up to 48 [[Red Beard (nuclear weapon)|Red Beard tactical nuclear weapons]] were secretly stowed in a highly secured weapons storage facility at ''Tengah'', between 1962 and 1970, for possible use by the [[V bomber]] force detachment.
 
====British Pullout====
The RAF station [[East of Suez|closed at the end of March 1971]] and ''Tengah'' was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command (later the Republic of Singapore Air Force) by 1973, after the British pullout. Despite this, the base continued to host British and Commonwealth air forces and troops under the auspices of the [[Five Power Defence Arrangements]] (FPDA) until 1976.
 
===Tengah Air Base===
It was renamed '''Tengah Air Base (TAB)''' in 1971, when it was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC). Currently, the air base houses aircraft such as the [[Northrop Grumman]] [[E-2 Hawkeye|E-2C Hawkeye]]s and the [[Lockheed Martin]] [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon#F-16C/D|F-16C/D Fighting Falcon]]s. Tengah's reserve storage includes some 60 units of [[A-4SU Super Skyhawk]]s that are capable of laser-guided bombings and air defence as these were retired in 2005 from active combat squadrons.
 
The Flying squadrons are:
*[[111 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force|111 Squadron]] with 4 E-2C Hawkeye (1987 - present, currently transitioning to G550 CAEWs)
*[[140 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force|140 Squadron]] with 12 F-16C/D
*[[142 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force|142 Squadron]] with 16 A-4SU Super Skyhawk before the squadron was disbanded in 1997
*[[143 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force|143 Squadron]] with 12 F-16C/D
*[[RSAF Black Knights]] - the official RSAF Aerobatic team and is also the formation [[insignia]] of '''Tengah Air Base'''
 
The Support Squadrons are:
*Air Logistics Squadron (ALS)
*Airfield Maintenance Squadron (AMS)
*Field Defence Squadron (FDS)
*Flying Support Squadron (FSS)


==External links==
==External links==
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*[http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-T.htm#Tengah Crest badge and Information of RAF Tengah]
*[http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-T.htm#Tengah Crest badge and Information of RAF Tengah]
*[http://www.singas.co.uk/HTML/tengah.html Memories of Singapore - RAF Tengah]
*[http://www.singas.co.uk/HTML/tengah.html Memories of Singapore - RAF Tengah]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengah_Air_Base Wikipedia Article on Tengah Air Base]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengah_Air_Base Wikipedia Article]

Revision as of 10:18, 14 September 2012

Tengah Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Tengah, in the western part of Singapore. The airbase is the most important airfield of the RSAF as it houses the bulk of RSAF's fixed-wing frontline squadrons, home to all of RSAF's E-2C Hawkeyes (to be replaced by the Gulfstream/IAI G550 CAEW), most of the F-16C/D Fighting Falcons and a large number of UAVs. The air base goes by the motto of "Always Vigilant", which is supported by its main motif, a chess board Black Knight piece symbolic of the aircraft’s operational readiness in Tengah. The sword represents war’s heraldic sword of destruction, while the state is depicted by the castle.

Prior to Singapore's independence, it was a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Tengah.

External links

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