RMAF Purchase F/A-18F & Su-30MKM A Threat?

last SG · 2003-01-11T23:10:44+00:00

2 RMAF nice looking F-18D taking off..

eurofighter SG

RMAF is expected to buy 12 Super Hornets(SH) and 18 Su-30MKM.
The SH might come along with AIM-120B, AIM-9X, SLAM, SLAMMER while the Su-30 with AA-12 and other ram-jet missiles. The Su-30, with long range and mini-awacs capabilities will allow RMAF to project their power to as far as the Spartly islands.Will these planes be a threat to our vipers and installations?
This is only if their pilots are well-trained and planes well maintained and i dont see this will be true for them. They think that by buying american and russian they can please and appease both sides. They think that doing so will widen their sources and arm embargoes will not hit them hard as their leaders are always criticising here and there. But they have never see that their logistics people will die from stock-piling spares and maintaining the planes. I dont see there is a need in buying two types of planes in small numbers that are performing similar roles. Arms manufacturers should say this to MAF'Cash only. No palm oil'.

MushyMaro SG

The aircrafts not matter what are still a serious threat until a solution to counter them is available. Please also note that you don’t win war with just logistics… further more time is not on our side. It is only a matter of time before they improve themselves. Numbers is also not on our side. We will be seriously threaten in the future.

duotiga83 SG

the purchase of their su30mkm is equivalent to the india su30mki - tt is the introduction of thrust vectoring engines into the region. To mi, i think this is a serious issue as no country here( not just sg) have this capability yet. I dun see the SBug as a threat to mi.

duotiga83 SG

totally agree wif u

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Depends, thou all the trust vectoring in the world can't help you when you are trying to dodge AMRAAMS! That thing so far has a 100 percent kill rate on everything it was shot at, not a single AMRAAM has missed, even when used on aggressively manuvering and counter-measuring drones. That'll beat their Adders flat.

However it is no time to be complacent, though one factor we always try to remain is the quality of our pilots, and to make them as good as possible, following Israeli style. Only the best of the best make the breed in Singapore. Pilots make the battle. Just look at the way British Sea Harrier pilots fragged the enemy during the Flaklands, even though their plane could not preform as well.

We might be getting the Rafel thou... to replace the A-4s.

eurofighter SG

What about the Typhoon? RSAF has stressed that the aircraft of the next purchase should be able to carry its present armamment. The Rafale is good but we will have to buy Magic and MICA AAMs. Maverick ASMs, AMRAAMS and sidewinders might not fit and as we might be the first foreign customer of the type, we have to spent money integrating them onto the aircraft. The typhoon is able to carry our present armament and is designed to counter Soviet Su-27 series fighters. BAe has also offered Meteor BVRAAM on the Typhoon package though these can be carried on the Rafale too. However the Typhoon looks to be delayed once again with the crash.

MushyMaro SG

The Typhoon seems to be out to be out of the race liao... due the crash... wat.. the engine flame out??? do u know that there is nothing more a pilot can do if he encounters engine trouble for the typhoon.. It will drop like a comet, not like others which may be able to glide back to base. Note that they are replacing Strike crafts with the new planes... currently the idea of having F15s in the force seems more likely.

So what do you all want? Which one? Question

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Of all the contenders, it appears that the Rafel is the best, though we have to customise it a little.

superspitfire SG

and it was Dassault who first began its promotion to promote the Rafale for the RSAF. Typhoon is also a good plane but as said by some of us, Eurofighter had been delaying the project due to budget and prototypes had crashed. It could be quite a while before Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain cpuld be supplied withe the Typhoons. Super Hornets may be out as Malaysia has acquired it and the F-15E is a deep strike aircraft, sure it retains its superior air-air capabilities, but as I heard, its wings may not be suitable for prolonged low-level flight. But then, F-15E is my choice...
The F-16 Block 60 is the newest F-16 block in the block and the UAE maybe the first to acquire it and if the agreement is sealed, it may be probably the first country to purchase something from the US which is as powerful as the US Air Force, something which was prohibited before. and there was the Rafale...its MICA is some mean missile and comes in two variants, radar-guided and heat-seeker and hear this, I heard it can carry cruise missiles...don't know if its true...

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Hmm… too bad we’re not involved in the JSF project, would be nice to have a piece of the pie.

duotiga83 SG

jsf is involved...but not fulli involved....u can look at the jdw article.

kamarulaz SG

For the RMAF does not have many frontline plane (Mig 29 & F/A18D) compare to singapore. But procuring planes in small numbers at a 5 years intervals does makes sense......especially when the planes reaching its lifetimes.

Look at south korea buying almost 40 F15 in one go....nowdays is very costly to replace on 1 to 1 basis.

In the near term the SU30 will be procure first. With this current situation the US is still to busy to approve the SuperBug to My....the F18F can wait a little longer. Next better money spend on AWACS, range equipments and some numbers of 90km+ russian "anti awacs" missile for the SU30!

Furthermore most country with Mig29 are retiring early this plane due to "quite" a number of reason....look around in web and magazines u knows.

Even if RMAF managed not to trade the Mig29 with the SU30, the Mig is still good as 2nd line plane as with our current F5E. Infact I hope the My goverment introduce something in line like the national air guard using Mig29 & F5E (part time pilot of course)

As for logistic.....what to do live with it la....!

Shotgun SG

F-16 Block 60? I don't know... USAF is not planning to acquire any of these "latest" vipers.

F-15E, quite likely now. For some reason, after I saw 2 F-15E's flying over Singapore... I can quite believe it.

It seems really as if the Typhoon is out. And the Rafale having a better chance at the contract.

For now, secure the AMRAAMs, and start shipping some of those BLOCK52 vipers back to singapore. Apaches will only be back in Singapore in 2006.

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Nah, you’ll see F-15Es around here quite often at certain times of the year, they’re Americans. But I can’t tell you any more then that. The way it stands now, the Rafel seems to be the hot favourite, at least to the guys making the desisions.

eurofighter SG

Whats the point of acquiring something that has been designed and first entered service in the 1970s? Also, RSAF wants to vary its source of equipment. Most of RSAF fleet is already American and so most likely will not buy F-15E. Besides the americans might block this toy and that toy and so you be left with a tooth-less tiger. The Rafale is begining to be my favourite. They can give those above us a hell of a time with APACHE/SCALP MISSILES.

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Loft bombing with smart bombs… drop bombs deep into enemy ground from far away…

MushyMaro SG

I personally prefer the F15Es. Although it is old design, it had much tests in real life situation. Many of the other strike crafts are still at infancy. They have seen no combat action an are not likely to see any in the near future.

How about having the new type of concept strike crafts. They have drones flying along with them with the same delivery systems. They are the real Force Multipliers... Laughing

eurofighter SG

Yeah we should get some UCAVs to work with our future planes. We should also get harpys to deal with their increasingly sophisticated SAMs too. Our F-16C/D will be replacing our skyhawks. So our new plane will not be fully a skyhawk replacement. It will be able to perform a ground attack role but will specialize in air superiority missions.

Matlaysia SG

Yup F-15 might just stand a chance if we are offered JSOW, JDAM and SLAM-ER. However, With the Rafale we stand to get Scalp which has a much longer range than the SLAM_ER. And with a sea version who knows. It might also be fitted on the new Delta frigates too. Time will Tell

SingaporeTyrannosaur SG

Hmm, word is Rafel is cheaper, more modern (and hence easy to use and upgrade) and requires a smaller logistics chain. And there's the matter of the active cancelation and low observable technology.

As for accepting munitions, ST Kinetics will probably work on that.