SINGAPORE TURNS PUBLIC ROAD INTO MILITARY AIRSTRIP

SINGAPORE, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- Singapore's military planes, including
fighter
jets, can be said to be able to fly from any location in the tiny republic if an
air exercise Sunday is any indication.

The straight multiple-lane Lim Chu Kang Road at the western tip of
Singapore was turned into an 'instant' runaway for a dozen military
aircraft during the half-hour air exercise.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft, including F-5 and
F-16 fighter jets and E-2C airborne early warning aircraft (Awac), executed a
series of take-offs and landings on the road.

Before that, some 400 personnel from RSAF's Air Power Generation Command
(APGC) were involved in converting the road into an improvised airstrip in 48
hours.

Singapore's Defence Ministry said the exercise highlighted the RSAF's
operational readiness and its ability to deliver air power continuously.

Currently, the RSAF operates from four air bases in Singapore, namely,
Tengah Airbase, Paya Lebar Airbase, Changi Airbase and Sembawang
Airbase.

The strategic idea to use public roads as alternative runways if the
airbases were incapacitated during enemy attacks was mooted by the then Defence
Minister, Goh Keng Swee, and former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew in the mid-70s.

The APGC is currently responsible for converting a major public road into
an
alternate runway.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, Second Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and
Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee witnessed the exercise.

This is the sixth time since 1986 that the RSAF has tested its ability to
use a major public road for the launch and recovery of its aircraft.
-- BERNAMA