VAST TRAINING GROUND AND AIRSPACE
The Mountain Home training ground has airspace more than 20 times the size of Singapore.
This allows the SAF to try out new battle concepts and put new capabilities to the test while validating what it already has in place.
For instance, the air force’s newly upgraded F-16 fighter jets can now engage and track targets at a longer distance.
Its A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft, which helps extend the airborne endurance of fighter jets by refuelling them in the air, is now equipped with automatic air-to-air refuelling capabilities.
BG Lim said the immense airspace makes a world of difference to the training experience.
“In Singapore, pilots generally know where the adversaries and targets are during war game exercises and training, and there is nowhere to hide,” he told CNA938’s Asia First.
“But here at Mountain Home, the air space is vast and allows everyone – both the pilots and the adversaries – to evade, flank, hide and ambush. Every team can keep changing their tactics and no two games are ever the same.”
This year, the SAF has also increased the complexities in the exercise by introducing more urban terrain, allowing soldiers to deal with targets that are moving within urban environments.
“This adds more complexity for our strikers as well as our sensors to identify targets, and increases the fidelity of the training,” said COL Anand.
“Large-scale exercises and an overseas environment allows us to operate in a realistic, yet safe and effective operating environment.
“It allows us to train our operational competencies, but most importantly, our operational readiness. Because when it matters the most, the operational readiness of our soldiers and airmen is what’s going to matter to defend Singapore.”
The exercise will continue until the end of September.