The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) scrambled F-16 fighter aircrafts on Saturday morning (11 Sep) in response to “a potential air threat”, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).
“After ensuring that our security was not compromised, we stood down our aircraft,” said a ministry spokesperson in response to queries by CNA, Singapore’s state media.
It was said that this incident happened at about 9.20am.
“On average, the RSAF fighter aircraft are deployed to investigate and deal with 350 potential air threats each year,” said MINDEF.
While the spokesperson did not provide details of the potential air threat, Alert5, a military aviation website noted that a Malaysian police helicopter that flew into Singapore airspace which spurred the response from RSAF.
According to Alert5.com’s article earlier today, flight tracking data showed that the helicopter cross into Singapore airspace at 01:22 UTC. This matches the timing as provided by MINDEF.
The website further states that two fighters were observed circling over Paya Lebar airbase at a height of approximately 5,000ft.
“They departed from Paya Lebar airspace and flew west around 02:07 UTC. The fighters were scrambled from Tengah air base”.
The flight tracking data shared by the website, shows the helicopter flying over Pulau Tekong, which is home to the Singapore Army’s Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC).
