Singapore’s air force posted photographs of U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters arriving in the city state on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (Singaporean air force)
Air Force F-22 stealth fighters arrived in Singapore on Wednesday for several days of combat and air-to-air refueling exercises over the South China Sea, according to U.S. and Singaporean officials.
“The Raptors have landed!” Singapore’s air force said that day on social platforms X and Facebook.
The high-tech planes were in the Southeast Asian city state to train alongside Singapore’s F-15SG Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and an A330 MRTT aerial tanker, according to the posts.
“F-22s are training with the Singapore Air Force, boosting our interoperability & strengthening ties,” Pacific Air Forces said in its own X post that day. Interoperability for the military means the ability of one country’s military to use another country’s equipment and training methods.
The training was to take place over the southern reaches of the South China Sea within international airspace and allow aircrew to glean useful tactical insights, according to the Singaporean Facebook post.
PACAF did not immediately provide answers on Thursday to emailed questions about the Raptors’ unit and mission in Singapore.
“Being able to operate smoothly with Singaporean Air Force has benefits for both sides and sends a useful message about the strength of the mil-mil relationship,” Ralph Cossa, a retired Air Force officer and former president of the Pacific Forum think tank in Hawaii, said by email Friday.
China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim disputed by surrounding countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Taiwan, itself subject to a territorial claim by China, also asserts territorial rights in the area.
Philippine and Chinese coast guard ships collided Monday in contested South China Sea waters, with each government blaming the other for the incidents.
Singapore’s proximity to the potential flashpoint makes it a good place for the stealth jets to fly from, and there are advantages operating from additional bases in the Pacific, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf said by email Friday.
It’s not the first time the U.S. stealth fighters have been in Singapore. Air Combat Command’s F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performed at the Singapore Airshow in February 2020.
Singapore is buying its own fleet of 20 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. It expects delivery of the first in 2026, according to the country’s defense minister, Ng Eng Hen, quoted in a March 1 Reuters report.
Raptors from the 27th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Va., are deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. Six of them participated in the Pitch Black airpower drills in Australia, which wrapped up Aug. 2.
