Commentary: There’s more than meets the eye to Singapore’s new Gulfstream G550 maritime surveillance aircraft

TWO-FOR-ONE FOKKER 50 REPLACEMENTS 

To understand why MINDEF chose two aircraft to replace one, let us look at the size and composition of the RSAF’s fleet of nine Fokker 50s, which are flown by 121 Squadron. 

Five aircraft, with tail numbers 714 to 718, are Fokker 50 Mark IIS Enforcer MPAs – the only Fokker 50s in the world that can be armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles. 

The distinct role of the MPA is best described by 121 Squadron’s motto, “Seek and Destroy”. This line is evocative of the aircraft’s capabilities to detect, identify, track and persecute maritime targets. 

Equipped with a radar on its belly to scan the sea for ships and submarines, the long-serving MPAs will be replaced by the P-8A Poseidon which has better speed, endurance, capabilities and detection range to seek and destroy ships and submarines.

The interesting bit is in the remaining four, the Fokker 50 Utility variants with tail numbers 710 to 713. When introduced 33 years ago, these aircraft were used for transporting troops, cargo and for dropping paratroopers. 

But they have since evolved as special mission Fokker 50s, equipped with sensors kept unspecified for their role. They extend maritime surveillance above and beyond that provided by shore-based sensors (whose detection range is constrained by the earth’s curvature) to provide early warning of threats.