New Attack Helicopters Debut at Parade

Singapore Ministry of Defence, The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will present several newcomers to the aerial display at this year's National Day Parade (NDP). 
 
Colonel (COL) David Wong, Chairman of NDP Air Participation Committee, said: “This year's display will feature the RSAF F-16 fighter jets, the Chinook and, for the first time, the Apache attack helicopters.” 
 
Three AH-64D Apache attack helicopters will take part in two sections of the three-part aerial display, which will involve 21 aircraft and occur during the Parade & Ceremony segment of NDP.  
 

In the traditional State Flag Flypast, two Apache helicopters will escort the Chinook helicopter carrying the 60-by-90-feet Singapore flag. 
 
Three Apache helicopters, flying in an arrow formation, will follow three F-16D Block 52+ fighter jets in the aerial display. 
 
There is also the visually stunning Presidential Salute, where three F-16C/D planes will stage a tightly-synchronised afterburner flypast, followed by a bomb-burst performed by five F-16 D Block 52+ fighter jets. 
 
Said Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Sew Chun Liang, Commanding Officer of 120 Squadron, the first Apache squadron: “It's always an honour to be part of the biggest day of the nation.” 
 
“We are able to showcase the Apaches in such a prestigious event; to share it with the people. I think that is what excites us.” While the Apache helicopters are an impressive addition to NDP 2006, they also pose fresh challenges to the organising team. 
 
For COL Wong, the challenge partly lies in aiming to present the Apaches “in a way that is fairly intense” and “that will excite the crowd”. 
 
As Mother Goose of NDP 2006, LTC Jaspal Singh Sidhu ensures that the aerial display runs perfectly on time and he feels that “there potentially could be a lot of inaccuracies”. 
 
“So coordinating the aircraft to come 11 seconds apart, flying from two different directions and at two different speeds, that's a challenge.” 
 
But the Apache helicopters are not the only ones making their maiden appearance at NDP 2006. A new F-16 smoke pod system, developed by the RSAF and ST Engineering, will be used for the first time in creating visible smoke trails during the Presidential Salute. 
 
With enhanced safety features and cost savings of about $600,000, this in-house, diesel-based invention meets NDP demands and looks here to stay. 
 
Major (MAJ) Danny Tan Wei Beng, who manages the smoke generation and provides technical support for the bomb-burst, said: “Comments given to us have been favourable, so we'll go on with it.”