World Affairs Board - View Single Post - Republic of Singapore Air Force chooses F-15T.

wnw · 09-20-2005, 09:51 AM

F-16 is said to be smaller & more agile. More suited for close up dogfights? F-15 however is said to be better for strike missions with longer reach & heavier payload. Both are said to make a good combination.

The F-15T is meant to replace the Skyhawk & not F-5. RSAF did at one time look at the possibility of operating only 2 types of aircraft but nothing concrete has come out from that. Besides, with RSAF likely to buy the F-35 once that becomes operational, it looks most likely that RSAF will be operating F-16, F-15 & F-35 in the future.

Now my 2 cents worth about the F-15T decision. I've always felt its not a good idea to be overly reliant on one source. Yes the US are our good friends but who can predict what will happen in say 10 years' time?

However having said that, on paper the F-15T is supposedly not as effective as the Rafale & the Eurofighter. However that is based on what? Simulation? Did the actually pit a F-15T against either fighter in real combat? I doubt it. AFAIK neither Rafale or Eurofighter has seen real action so it remains to be seen just how effective they are in "real life". F-15, old as it is, has seen action & it is combat proven.

I believe there are 3 reasons for the F-15T being selected.

1. Its combat track record speaks for itself.
2. Most of S'pore's hardware comes from the US, so I guess getting yet another US hardware is more compatible???
3. Boeing apparently sweetened the deal by offering precision guided ordnance, something which I believe neither Dassault or BAE offered.

As to whether our F-15T can take on M'sia's SU-30, well let's not forget that aerial combat is not simply about one to one. We're not gonna send out one fighter & say "Hey, let's rock & roll & see if you're guy can shoot down mine".

There are other factors such as war planning & strategy. Our F-15s could be downed by their AA even before they get a chance to meet the SU-30. Or their airbases could be blown sky high even before their SU-30 get to deploy. Basically anything can happen & I personally find it quite pointless to debate over one will defeat the other. This ain't a one on one boxing match ya.

09-20-2005, 09:51 AM	#16 (permalink)
wnw Regular Join Date: 09-20-05 Posts: 27	F-16 is said to be smaller & more agile. More suited for close up dogfights? F-15 however is said to be better for strike missions with longer reach & heavier payload. Both are said to make a good combination. The F-15T is meant to replace the Skyhawk & not F-5. RSAF did at one time look at the possibility of operating only 2 types of aircraft but nothing concrete has come out from that. Besides, with RSAF likely to buy the F-35 once that becomes operational, it looks most likely that RSAF will be operating F-16, F-15 & F-35 in the future. Now my 2 cents worth about the F-15T decision. I've always felt its not a good idea to be overly reliant on one source. Yes the US are our good friends but who can predict what will happen in say 10 years' time? However having said that, on paper the F-15T is supposedly not as effective as the Rafale & the Eurofighter. However that is based on what? Simulation? Did the actually pit a F-15T against either fighter in real combat? I doubt it. AFAIK neither Rafale or Eurofighter has seen real action so it remains to be seen just how effective they are in "real life". F-15, old as it is, has seen action & it is combat proven. I believe there are 3 reasons for the F-15T being selected. 1. Its combat track record speaks for itself. 2. Most of S'pore's hardware comes from the US, so I guess getting yet another US hardware is more compatible??? 3. Boeing apparently sweetened the deal by offering precision guided ordnance, something which I believe neither Dassault or BAE offered. As to whether our F-15T can take on M'sia's SU-30, well let's not forget that aerial combat is not simply about one to one. We're not gonna send out one fighter & say "Hey, let's rock & roll & see if you're guy can shoot down mine". There are other factors such as war planning & strategy. Our F-15s could be downed by their AA even before they get a chance to meet the SU-30. Or their airbases could be blown sky high even before their SU-30 get to deploy. Basically anything can happen & I personally find it quite pointless to debate over one will defeat the other. This ain't a one on one boxing match ya. Last edited by wnw : 09-20-2005 at 09:54 AM.