The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is taking part in an international maritime and aerospace show on Langkawi island at the invitation of the Malaysian government, the Republic's Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Tuesday (March 21).
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has its Formidable-class stealth frigate RSS Tenacious for the maritime display at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2017.
There is also one F-15SG fighter aircraft and one AH-64D Apache helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) for the static display.
This is the first time the F-15SG is participating in LIMA, Mindef said.
"We are appreciative of Malaysia's invitation for us to participate in this year's LIMA," the RSAF's Detachment Commander for LIMA 2017, Lieutenant-Colonel Goh Sim Aik, said.
"We see this as an excellent opportunity to share our air force experiences and to interact with the local public. Our participation in LIMA also reflects the warm and long-standing bilateral relations between the two Air Forces."
About 110 SAF personnel are involved in the show, which started on Tuesday and will end on Saturday.
The RSN's Detachment Commander for LIMA 2017, LTC Au Yong Kok Phai, said: "The crew of RSS Tenacious is glad and honoured to be given the opportunity to represent the RSN at LIMA 17." "Our participation and our regular interactions with the Royal Malaysian Navy is a good testament of our strong cooperation and defence relations with our Malaysian counterparts. We look forward to participate in the future LIMA exhibitions."
Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung, who was in Langkawi for LIMA 17, interacted with the SAF personnel participating in the exhibition.
He was accompanied by Permanent Secretary for Defence Chan Yeng Kit, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Perry Lim, Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han and Chief of Air Force Major-General Mervyn Tan.
Mr Ong earlier on Tuesday met with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
The SAF began participating in LIMA since 2001, which Mindef said underscored "the warm and long-standing defence ties between Singapore and Malaysia".
The SAF and the Malaysian Armed Forces share a long history of mutually beneficial cooperation, including at multilateral fora like the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-Plus.
The two armed forces also interact regularly through bilateral and multilateral exercises, visits, professional exchanges, and cross-attendance of courses, Mindef said. "These interactions have contributed significantly towards deepening the mutual understanding and camaraderie among the personnel of both armed forces," it added.
