Tengah Air Base

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Template:Infobox Airport

Tengah Air Base Template:Airport codes 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.

History

RAF Tengah

File:RAF Tengah Crest.jpg
RAF Tengah Crest Badge

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 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 RAF Sembawang and 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 Royal Navy dockyard at Sembawang.

Malayan Emergency

During the Malayan Emergency, Tengah was used to house Avro Lincolns of the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force which performed bombing missions on 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 60 Squadron, joined by 14 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 1958 they were joined by 45 Squadron and No. 75 Squadron RNZAF, both equipped with English Electric Canberra B.2. The RAAF retained their Lincolns, with 1 Squadron, until the end of the emergency.

Konfrontasi

File:Avro Vulcan Malaysia.jpg
An Avro Vulcan B.1A bomber touching down, a detachment of these bombers were deployed to Tengah & Butterworth during the period of Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation

During the period of Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, the RAF deployed 74 Squadron with its English Electric Lightning F.6 followed by 20 Squadron with its Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft in addition to the Gloster Javelins of 60 Squadron and 64 Squadron, to the air base to help bolster the air defence of Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia against infrequent air incursions from the MiG-21s and P-51 Mustangs of the Indonesian Air Force.

File:Lightning.inflight.arp.750pix.jpg
An English Electric Lightning F.6 similar to those operated by 74 Squadron from Tengah

On September 3, 1964, an Indonesian Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed into the Straits of Malacca while trying to evade interception by a Javelin FAW.9 of 60 Squadron.[1] 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 15 Squadron in August 1963, which was rotated with those dispersed to RAAF Butterworth in Malaysia. The detachment of Victor bombers was replaced in October 1964 by a detachment of Avro Vulcan B.1A bombers from 12 Squadron, these were subsequently pulled back to RAF Akrotiri in December that same year. In August 1965, 9 Squadron resumed RAF's Vulcan bomber detachment to Tengah, followed by 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 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.[2][3]

British Pullout

The RAF station 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-2C Hawkeyes and the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcons. Tengah's reserve storage includes some 60 units of A-4SU Super Skyhawks that are capable of laser-guided bombings and air defence as these were retired in 2005 from active combat squadrons.

File:RSAF Black Knights shoulder patch.jpg
Emblem of the RSAF Black Knights.

The Flying squadrons are:[4]

The Support Squadrons are:

  • Air Logistics Squadron (ALS)
  • Airfield Maintenance Squadron (AMS)
  • Field Defence Squadron (FDS)
  • Flying Support Squadron (FSS)

Photo gallery

  • RAF Tengah 1953.jpg

    An aerial view of the RAF Tengah taken in 1953

  • Bristol Blenheims 62 Squadron Singapore Feb 1941.jpg

    Bristol Blenheim Mk Is of No. 62 Squadron RAF lined up at RAF Tengah, February 1941

  • Bristol Blenheims Mk IV Singapore June 1941.jpg

    Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bombers at RAF Tengah, June 1941

  • Avro Lincoln of 1 SQN RAAF at RAF Tengah in 1950.jpg

    The first operation of No. 1 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force from RAF Tengah, August 1950

  • RAAFAvroLincolnMalaya1950.jpg

    An Avro Lincoln bomber of No 1(B) Bomber squadron dropping 500 pound bombs on Communist targets during the Malayan Emergency

  • Tengah1.jpg

    Members of No. 45 Squadron RAF posing for the camera in front of a Bristol Brigand at RAF Tengah, in 1950

  • 45SqnB15s.jpg

    English Electric Canberra B.15 of No. 45 Squadron at RAF Tengah, Singapore, in 1963

  • TengahTimes029.jpg

    (Circa 1970) Line up of aircraft at RAF Tengah during Exercise Bersatu Padu.[5] English Electric Lightning F.6, English Electric Canberra PR.9, Handley Page Victor tankers, Avro Vulcan bombers and No. 1 Squadron RAAF's F-4E Phantom IIs fighter-bombers (from left to right respectively)

  • RSAF F-16D.jpg

    RSAF F-16D prepares for flight

  • 111Sqn E-2C Hawkeye.jpg

    RSAF 111Sqn's E-2C Hawkeye

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Video clips

Template:RSAF Airbases Template:RAAF Bases Template:Airports in Singapore

pl:Port lotniczy Singapur-Tengah zh:登加空軍基地

  1. ↑ Conboy, Ken. 2003. ‘Kompassus’ – Inside Indonesia’s Special Forces. Jakarta: Equinox Publishing. p. 161
  2. ↑ Template:Cite news
  3. ↑ Template:Cite web
  4. ↑ Template:Cite web
  5. ↑ Template:Cite web
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