A B-52 bomber. (US Air Force)
SYDNEY: China will doubtless be tracking the every move of a US Air Force B-52 when it performs a flyover at this week’s Singapore Air Show. But the BUFF won’t be the only plane showing off its capabilities during the show, which kicks off Feb. 14.
Generally, the point of showing off hardware at air shows is to impress potential customers, and that’s certainly the case with the Singapore airshow, the largest annual military aviation expo in the Indo-Pacific, arguably the center of gravity for great power competition for the next two decades. Geopolitics being what they are, it’s impossible to ignore the potential messaging being sent to China by the American presence at this year’s event.
The cavalcade of American military airplanes at the show is pretty impressive, particularly when compared with the last half-decade at the Paris and Farnborough shows, which have seen less of a US military presence.
In addition to the big, bad B-52 from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, an F-35B from US Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 121 at Iwakuni will remind China of the Joint Strike Fighter’s ability to do vertical landings and short takeoffs from islands and bases throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
In the display area, there will be an F-35A from the 356th Fighter Squadron at Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base — a key base for American interests in the Arctic and Pacific. The Joint Strike Fighter will be joined by a KC-46 tanker from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, along with a P-8 from VP-26, Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. An RQ-4 Global Hawk from the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota will also be present.
Airbus will boast the new H225M multirole helicopter appearing for the first at an air show, as well as a German Air Force A400M.
Israel’s Elbit Systems’ Skylar 3 Hybrid Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems is on hand for the first time at the Singapore Airshow, the company said today. The Skylark3 Hybrid uses a hybrid propulsion system reportedly offering up to 18 hours of operations.
As one would expect, other regional air forces will also be seen in the skies during the event. India’s Light Combat Aircraft, the Tejas, will appear for the first time at the Singapore show, show organizers say. Last seen at the 2018 show, Indonesia’s Jupiter Aerobatic Team will go through their paces with their six-plane formations. And the home team will be represented when the Singapore Air Force flies an F-16C fighter and a pair of AH-64D Apache helicopters.
On the ground, the expectation is that senior US Air Force and Indo-Pacific officials will be attending the show, including at least one senior Defense Department official — not a surprise, given the importance of the region and the fact this is a prime opportunity to meet with both government and industry partners after several years of COVID restrictions.
