Chris Pocock has been covering the defense beat for AIN for over 30&nbsp;years. He is a British citizen and a graduate of the University of Cambridge. Chris worked in the air cargo business for ten years before becoming a full-time writer in 1983. He subsequently edited two air cargo journals before becoming AIN’s Defense Editor. He retired from that position in 2018, but still contributes to the publication. Chris has written extensively on aerial reconnaissance, including four books on the history of the U-2 spyplane. He also lectures on this and other topics related to intelligence-gathering in the Cold War.

Defense Correspondent

Chris Pocock

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is showing its top-of-the-line F-16D Block 52+ fighter for the first time at Asian Aerospace, in the static park. This two-seat aircraft is optimized for long-range and low-level strike missions, and with its various lumps and bumps, must be the ugliest F-16 version of all time. In fact, the aircraft is externally identical to the F-16I Sufa (Storm) version now operated by the Israeli Air Force. 

Some of the external antennas, as well as the fuselage spine, are unique to the Elisra PAWS-series electronic warfare system, although the four IFF blade antennas in front of the cockpit are familiar from other F-16 versions. The conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) provide an extra 450 gallons of fuel, yet this aircraft also touts two 370-gallon&nbsp; tanks on the inner wing pylons, and is capable of carrying even larger 600-gallon ones. 

AIM-9 IR-guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs) hang from the outer wing pylons, and longer-range radar-guided Raytheon AIM-120C AAMs are mounted on the wingtip launchers. The mid-wing pylons can carry air-ground weapons such as the AGM-65 Maverick or 2,000-pound class laser-guided bombs shown on the aircraft here. 

Their targets are designated by the Rafael Litening III pod positioned on the right engine intake station. The left station carries a Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-13 Pathfinder (LANTIRN) auto-navigation pod. 

Although neither Israel nor Singapore will confirm the extent of Israeli content on the RSAF’s F-16s, the following systems are part of the F-16I spec and may also have been supplied: Elbit mission computer, head-up display and Dash IV helmet display and sight; Astronautics multifunction displays; Rafael secure communications suite; Rafael Python 4 AAMs and IAI Elta laser-gyro inertial navigation and satellite communications systems. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

With RSAF’s F-16s, form follows function

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is showing its top-of-the-line F-16D Block 52+ fighter for the first time at Asian Aerospace, in the static park

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