besides Luke Arizona and now Mountain Home, anywhere else state
side RSAF train?
F-15SGs for the RSAF “Buccaneers” arrive
at MHAFB
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Plans to open a new Republic of Singapore air force training
squadron at Mountain Home AFB took a
significant move forward Wednesday, May 6, when the first of its
advanced F-15SG fighters arrived here.
The aircraft, part of the 428th Fighter Squadron, known as the
Buccaneers, was greeted by a costumed buccaneer waving a pirate
flag.
“This is a great day for Mountain Home and Mountain Home Air
Force Base in welcoming our good friends from Singapore,” said
Mayor Rist, prior to the ceremonies.
“It seemed like there were 1,000 things that had to happen. It
seemed overwhelming, but all of these things are happening and this
is quite a milestone in working toward standing up the squadron
later this month and inaugurating the Peace Carvin V program,” said
Col. Jim Bird, the 366th Fighter Wing commander, in his remarks
welcoming the unit to MHAFB.
The Peace Carvin Process began when the tiny Republic of
Singapore came to the United States to ask if they could build an
aircraft and have a place to be trained.
“What an auspicious and historical moment, that continues our
long relationship,” said Col. James McGovern 366th Ops Group
Commander who opened the arrival ceremony, which featured several
short speeches and a cake-cutting ceremony. The cake displayed the
flags of both the United States and the Republic of Singapore.
The Republic of Singapore air force, or RSAF, will eventually maintain up to 10 of the multi-role
aircraft at Mountain Home as part of a long-standing partnership
with the United States to train its aircrews. The unit will include
approximately 180 active duty and 130 support personnel. During the
life of the program, as many as 200 active duty RSAF personnel will live and work on the base.
Mountain Home was selected to house the training squadron
following an Air Force study that began in 2005. The base was
deemed the ideal location because of its extensive range complex,
excellent year-round flying conditions, existing facilities and
highly trained personnel. A Letter of Agreement between the United
States and Singapore calls for planes to fly out of Mountain Home
for 25 years. The first two years will train the initial cadre.
“What a beautiful airplane,” said Col. Bird as he looked over
the new planes arriving at his base. “It’s absolutely incredible, I
just want to crawl up the ladder and get a whiff of that new car
smell.
The Boeing F-15SG is an advanced version of the F-15E Strike
Eagle currently flown by two squadrons at Mountain Home
AFB. For the casual observer, the F-15SG is
indistinguishable from a Strike Eagle except that it will be
branded with the “lion head” insignia that designates it as a
Singaporean asset.
The Boeing Company rolled out the first F-15SG jet fighter for
the RSAF on Nov. 3, 2008. The F-15SG is the
world’s most advanced version of the F-15 airframe and features a
blend of high performance, diverse weapons loads and advanced,
integrated sensors. Its avionics are actually more advanced than
the F-15 Eagle and Strike Eagle aircraft flown by the 366th
Wing.
“For Mountain Home, it’s going to be great because we get to
train with an ally on a daily basis and it will be great culturally
because they will be working with us as Gunfighters, being a part
of our team,” said Col.Bird.
During a ceremony May 18, the 366th Fighter Wing, in conjunction
with the RSAF, will officially activate the
Buccaneer squadron at the base.
“The base is very excited to work with the RSAF because this partnership provides important combat
readiness training for our Singapore partners, and fulfills the
need to train as a team in a multi-national force structure,” said
Lt. Col. Keith Gibson, the training squadron’s U.S. commander.
© Copyright 2009, Mountain Home News
Story URL: http://www.mountainhomenews.com/story/1537033.html