This year's National Day Parade (NDP) aerial fly-past is set to be "bigger and louder" with the rollout of F-15SG aircraft for the performance.
The parade at the Marina Bay floating platform will mark the first time in NDP history that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is using a fleet of five F-15SG fighter planes for the signature bomb burst manoeuvre.
In previous years, such as during the SG50 NDP at the Padang, F-16 jets were used instead.
"The aerial fly-past may appear closer to the audience because the aircraft is bigger and... produces more sound compared to the F-16," Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Goh Sim Aik, 40, the mission lead of the NDP 2017 aerial salute, told The Sunday Times yesterday, ahead of the second National Education show.
The bomb burst manoeuvre got its name from the way the jets soar in formation. It will see the five pilots break away, in a symmetrical and coordinated fashion, into different directions from an initial V-shaped formation.
On why F-15SG fighter jets are being used this year, SLTC Goh, who is also commanding officer of RSAF's 149 squadron, said the display of different aircraft during the manoeuvre at various NDPs was a way to showcase the RSAF's fighter assets.
"In 2015, we had the F-16s displaying the bomb burst. There was a break in 2016, and now in 2017, we are putting up the F-15SG for the very first time in the... manoeuvre," he said.
In another first, the manoeuvre this year will be performed by two operationally ready national servicemen pilots. Their inclusion is a nod to NS50 this year, which is the 50th-year milestone of national service in Singapore. The other pilots are RSAF regulars.
"This year, it is NS50, and it is only right for us to have NSmen involved in NDP, for them to salute the nation, and also allow Singaporeans to recognise their contribution and dedication to national service," said SLTC Goh.
Captain (NS) Valent Tan, one of the NSmen pilots, said he was excited to be part of the team. Said the 38-year-old aviation consultant: "It's my first time participating in NDP in the capacity of an NSman, and I'm definitely looking forward to it. Hopefully, I'll put on a good show for the nation."
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