AERIAL ACES

Spirits were high as Republic of Singapore Air Force fighter squadrons pitted their skills against one other in a contest of tactical and logistical excellence at Tengah Air Base (TAB). Here are some highlights of Exercise Top Ace, held from 28 Jan to 1 Feb.

Coming up tops
149 Squadron (SQN) were crowned this year's Top Ace Squadron for getting the best overall score. The squadron, which operates the cutting-edge F-15SG jets, also clinched the Best Air-to-Air Squadron award, which scored squadrons on various operational skills ranging from basic weaponry to teamwork in dogfights.

Start up
A marshaller signalling the F-15SG pilot to start his engines for a pre-flight check. During the competition, assessors evaluated ground crew on aspects such as the maintenance of aircraft, turnaround speed (time an aircraft spends on the ground between flights) and munitions loading.

Take off
Fighter jets forming an impressive row at Hotshot Village in TAB as pilots conduct their final checks before take-off.

Up and away!
An F-16 soaring in the sky for another round of intense competition. The operational events range from solo dogfights to two aircraft working together to take down a single enemy fighter, to a team of four against two enemy aircraft.

Lock and load
The team from 144 SQN, made up of Operationally Ready National Servicemen, scrambling to load over 200 rounds into the 20mm gun of the F-5. They beat all others in the Weapon Loading Competition and emerged the Best Flight Line Crew (FLC) Team (Weapons).

Time for some heavy lifting
The FLC of 143 SQN getting ready to arm the F-16 aircraft with the AIM-9 missile, which weighs over 80kg.

Do you know how to park?
An assessor gauging how accurately the marshaller has signalled the pilot in manoeuvring the aircraft to its parking spot in the Precision Marshalling challenge.

Refuel and retire
Ground crew refuelling the F-5 to ensure that it is ready for the next day's operations.