Apache attack helicopters to make Padang dynamic display debut at NDP 2024

SINGAPORE - Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) attack helicopters will be taking part in a dynamic display at the Padang for the first time at the 2024 National Day Parade (NDP).

Two AH-64D Apache helicopters will arrive over the buildings of the Downtown Core before making mock attack runs during the

Total Defence 40 dynamic display segment

of the parade on Aug 9.

The helicopters had previously flown such manoeuvres only at NDPs held at the now-closed Marina Bay floating platform, which presented clearer routes in and out. The Padang is located in a more built-up area and will require different routes for the aircraft.

Major Ingkiriwang Reeve, the officer commanding of the RSAF’s 120 Squadron and the lead pilot of the Apaches, said the main challenge was that they would be flying at relatively low altitudes and in close proximity to the Chinook helicopters carrying the state flag.

“With the tall buildings in (the Marina) Bay area, those have all been taken into account, in terms of our profile, flight path and aircraft parameters, such that there is always sufficient vertical and lateral separation between the two aircraft and the obstacles or buildings around us,” he said. Profile refers to the flight path and display routine.

A total of 14 aircraft will be involved in the celebrations on the day – a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, four Apache and three Chinook helicopters, and six F-16 jets.

Two RSAF surface-to-air Python-5 and Derby (Spyder) ground-based air defence systems will also be taking part in the dynamic display, which will include the Republic of Singapore Navy and Singapore Red Cross in land and sea segments.

The air component of the NDP will start with the Singapore Armed Forces’ Red Lions team jumping out over the Padang and landing by parachute during the pre-parade segment. 

The four Apaches and two of the Chinook helicopters will take part in the Fly Our Flag segment across the island – two groups consisting of one Chinook and two Apaches each will fly over eastern and western Singapore.

The eastern route will go through Seletar, Sengkang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Bedok and East Coast, while the western route will cover Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Jurong and West Coast.

A third Chinook will then be joined by two of the Apaches from the Fly Our Flag segment, and they will fly over the Padang for the traditional state flag fly-past during the National Anthem.

While the helicopters are making their way across the island, six F-16 fighter jets will be involved in the Island Flypast around Singapore covering Clementi, Jurong West, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Batok, Woodlands, Toa Payoh, Seletar, Punggol and Bendemeer.

Captain Ong Yan Zhuan, who is the deputy flying display marshal in the air participation committee for NDP 2024, said one of the considerations of Fly Our Flag and Island Flypast was to try to fly over more of Singapore and its major heartland areas. 

The helicopters with the state flag will fly closer to Bedok and Jurong, while the jets will be seen nearer to Clementi, Queenstown and Bendemeer.

Following the Island Flypast, five of the six F-16s will then perform a bomb burst as they approach the Padang from the south after the National Anthem, as a mark of respect for and a salute to the nation. 

The F-16s will also be involved in the dynamic display, with two of the jets scrambled to intercept suspicious aircraft heading towards Singapore in a simulation. They will fly over the Padang’s central dais, symbolising how the F-16s protect Singapore’s skies.

Another pair of jets will then fly in from behind the National Gallery Singapore and perform a vertical climb to an altitude of 3,000m, demonstrating the agility and capability of the F-16. 

During the F-16s’ aerial display, the Spyder air defence systems will enter the Padang, where they will use pyrotechnics to simulate a missile firing to neutralise an air target. 

This will be followed by the Apaches’ inaugural dynamic display at the Padang, where two helicopters will showcase an air-sea integrated operation over Marina Bay and the Padang as they approach from the Central Business District.

Among the F-16 pilots taking part in the 2024 NDP is Major Ervin Ng, the officer commanding of the RSAF’s 140 Squadron and the planner for the F-16 component in this year’s fly-past.

He told The Straits Times that safety was a key consideration throughout the planning process, which started in April. Flights were carried out in simulators and training areas – taking into account contingencies such as weather and airspace constraints – before they moved on to the show area. 

“By (the time they flew in the show area), the pilots were all very familiar with the routing and what they needed to do,” he said.

Reserve pilots also flew in some of the practices and rehearsals to ensure they were also familiar with their roles and display routines.

Taking part in an NDP fly-past is always a special occasion for Maj Ng, explaining that Aug 9 is also his wedding anniversary.

He plans to have an anniversary lunch with his family before the NDP, and his family will be on the ground watching when he flies past the Padang later that evening. 

“Sharing this moment with my family, where they get to see me launch for the fly-past, is one of the best ways to celebrate our anniversary,” he said.