Yes, you might have seen a familiar face in this video. Yes, I do look tired: The Wall Street Journal team interviewed me in January, and I had recently recovered from my second brush with COVID. Was down just after Christmas'23, cleared my ART within 5 days (compared to 11 days from my 1st COVID experience). But the breathlessness lingered and I stopped my regular 5k runs and stopped doing weights for awhile. Lost 3 kgs - which is quite a lot for an ectomorph (skinny build) - but have since regained 1kg. Am delighted with the number of views and glad the video has given viewers, especiall ..read more

Republic of Singapore Navy tank landing ship, RSS Resolution, seen underway off the coast of Queensland, Australia, during Exercise Wallaby 2023. Of interest is the full load of fast landing craft, known as Fast Craft Equipment Personnel (FCEPs) on davits flanking Reso's superstructure. This is believed to be the first official photo showing an Endurance-class LST with its max load of FCEPs (assuming another five on the portside). Had to wait 25 years since the Endurance-class were commissioned in batches from 1998 to see this official photo of an LST with all FCEP davits filled. With 10 FCEP ..read more

Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Super Pumas photo bombed the Singapore Army's Instagram post on Commando parachute training. Now retired, RSAF Super Puma medium-lift tactical transport helicopters appear to have had their main rotors removed and are now stored in a hangar at Sembawang Air Base. Used by the RSAF since 1985 for troop-lift and search and rescue, the Super Ps have been replaced by the more powerful Airbus Helicopters H225M. The old Super Ps are found in a number of fight scenes in the fictional war story Pukul Habis (Total Wipeout), where they are engaged by Malaysian ..read more

The crew of this Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Gulfstream G550 Airborne Early Warning (AEW), tail number 010, from 111 Squadron, landed safely this week at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, Arizona, USA. Bearing callsign SINGA72, the RSAF G550 made a direct flight to Tuscon from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii. Davis-Monthan is home to the USAF's specialised electronic warfare unit, the 55th Electronic Combat Group. On 17 August, the unit hosted the first visit by a new model of the Compass Call EW aircraft, designated the EC-37B. The new Compass Call i ..read more

  Interesting vehicle with what appears to be a satellite dish on its cabin, seen at the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Open House at Paya Lebar Airbase. This looks like a 2.4m C or Ku-band antenna for transmitting and receiving voice, video or data to and from a communications satellite. The satellite cabin and generator (blue box at the rear) are mounted on a Hino truck. I guess this is quite a capable antenna. It could pack the capability equivalent to a TV broadcasting studio on that truck. Nothing says "network centric" better than seeing one of these vehicles. I have so ..read more

The 1950s era airport buildings from the former Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar appear to have been updated to deal with 21st century situations involving Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Rooftop anti-drone sensors seem to have been installed on buildings now used by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at Paya Lebar Airbase. They were seen by many visitors who chanced upon the sensors at this weekend's RSAF Open House. These sensors are believed to serve as anti-drone radars (sensor closest to the right corner), RF jammer (flat face array with vertical antenna), and a d ..read more

Always read the info boards of Singapore Armed Forces assets! Spot anything new? RSAF 55 Open House Paya Lebar Air Base Saturday 9 Sep to Sunday 10 Sep 2023 9am to 6pm (The event is Free ..read more

The last time Paya Lebar Air Base welcomed the public was in 2016. Large crowds attended the Air Force Open House that year. This weekend's event at Paya Lebar Air Base, held to mark the Republic of Singapore Air Force's 55th anniversary, is expected to be a major crowd-puller. RSAF 55 Open House Paya Lebar Air Base Saturday 9 Sep to Sunday 10 Sep 2023 9am to 6pm (The event is Free) TIP 1 Get your queue number early Register on the RSAF Open House website, https://www.rsaf55oh.sg/, to get in line to sit in the cockpits of various RSAF fighter aircraft. The RSAF 55 Open House Capabil ..read more

Thanks to my job as a journalist early in my career, I have met or seen in real life every Singaporean who served as defence minister (DM), except Mr Howe Yoon Chong. The DM whom I wanted to meet for a long time was Dr Goh Keng Swee, one of the Old Guard minsters who helped shape the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in its embryonic years. I met Dr Goh in 1996. My mother, who thought she saw Dr Goh walking in a park near our home, told me about her chance encounter during one of her strolls. She also knew which house the old gentleman lived in.  Curiosity aroused, I dropped a handwritten ..read more

Kind words for Pukul Habis, my first fictional war story, from Dr Tim Huxley, for which I am deeply appreciative. Singapore Armed Forces watchers would know Dr Huxley for his book, Defending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore, which set the benchmark for books on the Singapore Armed Forces. He is one of the leading lights in Asia-Pacific security. His discussion of the Mersing Line in the 1991 essay, Singapore and Malaysia: A Precarious Balance, kickstarted my own journey of discovery. Dr Huxley told me a few months ago he was reviewing the book for an academic journal. Am delight ..read more