First Excercise for SAF AH-64D Apache Attack Helicopters

Singapore Ministry of Defence, Exercise Forging Sabre will serve as a “good starting point” for the AH-64D Apache attack helicopters to be integrated into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) before they are re-deployed to Singapore next year, said Peace Vanguard Detachment Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Christopher Wong. 
 
The Peace Vanguard Detachment is located in Marana, Arizona. 
 
“All the elements will be back home and we can integrate immediately instead of starting from scratch,” LTC Wong said. “We have been here for the last four years and all this while, we have been operating with the United States Army, doing things their way and adopting their doctrines.” 
 
“For this particular exercise, the difference would be to integrate and operate with SAF units,” LTC Wong added. 
 
The 12-day exercise, held at the United States Marines Air Ground Task Force Training Centre (MAGTFC), will provide the Apaches with the opportunity of working with a host of sensor shooter elements such as the F-16s, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Commandos and the Artillery. 
 
It will culminate in a live-fire demonstration on 21 Nov that will see the Apaches launching Hellfire missiles, rockets and guns on 'targets' in the Mojave Desert. 
 
To facilitate smooth co-ordination among the various units, all the key personnel from the agencies involved had been planning and working together in the months preceding the exercise, to forge a common understanding and to make sure everything would be in place. 
 
For Apache pilot, Lieutenant (LTA) Evans Lim, the key to success in Exercise Forging Sabre is getting to know individual units and platforms, and how they work as a whole. 
 
“Just like a football team, you need the players to understand each other's playing tactics,” LTA Lim said. 
 
“That's why for the pre-flight briefing, we request the ground units or other platforms like the UAVs to join us to see how we brief and our concept of operations.” 
 
“After the mission, we iron out any debrief pointers and we also listen to tape recordings of certain communications that are incorrect or confusing, and sort it out on the spot. In this way, we are able to understand each other's operations,” he added. 
 
During their 'down times' or off-duty hours, servicemen from the various units and services also spend time interacting with each other. 
 
“There is a servicewoman from the Army in my bunk, so I talk to her as well as to the technicians from the UAVs and the Chinooks, to find out what their roles are and what they are planning for,” said First Sergeant (1SG) Jayalakshmi, an Air Materials Specialist. 
 
“While it can be a challenge to meet their demands given the intensity of this 'live' exercise, we continually communicate and exchange ideas so that we are able to meet the demands and have a successful exercise,” she added. 
 
However, thanks to the months of preparation, the systems have been fine-tuned, said Parking Dispersal Site In-Charge, Second Warrant Officer (2WO) Toh Kok Hwee. 
 
“We have a team of very experienced officers and specialists who can analyse and troubleshoot. We are able to keep up with the ops tempo and provide them with all the aircraft that they need to complete the missions,” said 2WO Toh, whose role is to ensure that aircraft are launched safely and that they are well maintained and serviced. 
 
“Aircraft performance has been great, we have done a lot of servicing to prepare the aircraft for this exercise and the status is good,” he added. 
 
Overall, it is evident that the morale in the Peace Vanguard camp is excellent. 
 
The servicemen have been looking forward to participating in the exercise after months of training. “The most memorable moment for me would be talking to our own SAF ground units from the air and flying together with other air platforms from SAF,” said Captain (CPT) Keith Cheong, an instructor pilot in the detachment. 
 
“What I want to take back from this exercise is to have a bigger picture and also a better understanding of integration, and knowledge of the new operating concepts being tested in the ongoing transformation of the SAF.”