Ever since the inception of the Singapore Armed Forces, and the Singapore Air Defence Command (former name of the Republic of Singapore Air Force or RSAF), defense planners understood that the tiny island state lacks strategic depth, and any aerial threats will overfly one of the world’s most densely populated countries in seconds. Ground-based air defense (GBAD) systems have since been one of the key mainstays of Singapore national air defense, providing round-the-clock watch over the skies.
The RSAF has always sought possession of counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) capabilities ever since the technology enabled this, for protection against saturated RAM fire. The need was even more critical with the foiled attempt by Indonesian terrorists to launch homemade rockets into Singapore in 2016, and with the potential closure of Paya Lebar airbase in 2030, which would result in the net loss of operational runways.
After an RSAF restructure in 2017, national air defense systems fall under the auspices of the Air Defence and Operation Command (ADOC) Air Defence Group, with the remaining short-range air defense systems under the Participation Command’s Divisional Air Defence Group (DAG).
GBAD Systems
The second-generation RSAF GBAD umbrella consisted of the fighters at the forefront, followed by 163 Squadron's I-HAWK surface-to-air missile, the 165 Squadron Rapier as its second-tier missile system, and for the last tier, the 160 Squadron Oerlikon 35mm guns, as well as the Mistral, RBS 70, and Igla MANPADS from the 3, 6, 9, and 18th Divisional Air Defence Artillery Battalion. Today, the umbrella concept remains largely unchanged, but it is more robust, and the 35mm gun, along with the Mistral, were phased out. AIN understands that the RBS 70s were upgraded to the NG variant with the bolide missile.
The transformation began around the turn of the decade, first with the Rafael SPYDER-SR replacing the medium range Rapier in 2011. With the infrared-guided Python 5 and radar-guided Derby missiles, this gave the RSAF more flexibility, faster response time, and also the first GBAD asset to have C-RAM capabilities.
In 2013, the government announced the acquisition of the MBDA Aster 30 SAMP/T to replace 163 Squadron’s I-HAWK. The vertical-launched Aster 30 multiplies ADOC’s ability to engage multiple high-altitude targets in all directions without the need to turn the missile launchers to the direction of fire. Capable of engaging high-altitude (above 10,000 feet) aircraft at 100 km, the Aster 30 expands the air defense umbrella further afield by an additional 50 km. The Aster 30 is also marketed to be capable of shooting down small radar-cross-section targets such as cruise missiles, UAVs, and stand-off munitions.
Sensors
Despite the high-end missile systems, these can only be as capable as their detection capabilities. Because radar operates at line of sight, Singapore's low-lying geographical features meant that its radar systems cannot be used to their full potential. The mainstay of the RSAF's air defense radar, the Lockheed Martin FPS-117, is perched on the second-highest hill, Bukit Gombak, at just 133 meters tall. This means that tall buildings or larger geographical features outside Singapore could easily hinder detection performance.
ADOC has since begun operation of the TCOM 55m aerostat in 2017, and this is believed to be mounted with the Elta EL/M-2083 APR solid-state L-band active electronically scanning array (AESA) radar. Tethered at 2000 feet (600 meters), the aerostat is able to give ADOC round-the-clock aerial and maritime surveillance with range of around 200 km.
The RSAF has also acquired a number of new sensor systems to replace older hardware and improve the detection capabilities and capture high-resolution aerial photographs, which are especially crucial in C-RAM operations. These radars include the Saab Giraffe Agile Multiple Beam (AMB), Thales Groundmaster 200 (known locally as the Shikra), and more recently in 2016, the Elta EL/M-2084 Multi Mission Radar (MMR). The latter was used intensively and proven in Israel, with numerous successful intercepts when paired with the Iron Dome system.
The Silver Bullet
The ADOC’s sliver bullet is the Island Air Defence System (IADS), a systems of systems (SoS) networked air defense. Developed locally by the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the RSAF, IADS enables all sensors and firing units to be linked to the network under a single communication protocol regardless of system manufacturer.
These sensors are fused together by a combat management system and linked with civil radar and a flight plan database, giving ADOC’s C2 centers a single comprehensive recognized air picture with quick auto identification of plots and tracks. Under this centralized resource, critical information can be disseminated to all parties within the entire air defense system.
All firing units are able to receive radar details from the various sensors across the island, giving the missile best target information and at the same time, increasing the survivability of the site without a single point of failure in the event their own radar unit is unavailable. Decision support systems will aid C2 commanders in assigning the most appropriate weapon system for the best success rate.
The RSAF humbly coins its air defense as third generation, but the investment and development of new hardware and capabilities brings it to the level of GBAD 3.5. Distinct lines between the first and second line of defense are blurred now as missiles' minimum and maximum engagement range cross into each other, and also into the region of fighter coverage. Two or three well placed firing units provide overlapping and extensive coverage over the island, ironically due to its small geographical size. With the IADS in place, the RSAF is able to quickly integrate new systems with current ones and adapt to the every changing air defense landscape, covering Singapore with a highly complex steel umbrella.
