Changi Air Base (East), or Changi East Complex, is a facility extending the facilities of Changi Air Base, the existing facilities hence renamed Changi Air Base (West). Built on a 2 square kilometre site of reclaimed land, the new base was located approximately 2 kilometres east of Changi Airport and approximately 1.5 kilometres west of Changi Naval Base. Groundbreaking took place on 15 July 2002[1] and it was officially opened on 29 November 2004. A new runway (02R/20L) was built and the length was approximately 2,748 metres (9,015 ft),[2] it has since been lengthened to 4,000 metres.[3]
Changi Air Base (East) Pangkalan Udara Changi (Timur) 樟宜(東)空軍基地 சாங்கி வான்படைத் தளம் கிழக்கு | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_shoulder_patch.jpg) Changi Air Base (East) Crest Badge | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military airbase | ||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence (Singapore) | ||||||||||
| Operator | Republic of Singapore Air Force United States Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | 317 Tanah Merah Coast Road, Singapore 498820 | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 01°20′44″N 104°0′35″E / 1.34556°N 104.00972°E | ||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Location
editThe new base houses the Republic of Singapore Air Force's 145 Squadron, which comprises the extended-range, attack-oriented F-16D Block 52+ Fighting Falcons, as well as the 208 Squadron, the 808 Squadron and the 508 Squadron.
The proximity of the South China Sea to the air base gives it an advantage over Tengah Air Base and Paya Lebar Air Base as the F-16 jets from Changi can make a faster and shorter trip out to training areas over the South China Sea, compared to their counterparts from other air bases. The 145 Squadron can save as much as five to seven minutes of transit time, which means they also save on fuel and further reducing costs.
In the future, the runway will be extended to 4,000 metres to accommodate further growth in passenger, cargo and air traffic as construction of Terminal 5 gets underway.[4]
As part of Changi Airport's expansion and to accommodate the eventual relocation of Paya Lebar Airbase, the air base was closed for expansion works and re-opened at the end of 2018.[5]
Organisation
edit- 112 Sqn 6 Airbus A330 MRTT (Aerial refuelling)
Singapore Airshow
editAlso, located just beyond the northern edge perimeter fencing of the air base is the permanent venue of the new Changi Exhibition Centre for the Singapore Airshow which was completed in September 2007 and had hosted the recently inaugurated Singapore Airshow 2008 in February 2008. The most recent Airshow was held from 20–25 February 2024.
40th Anniversary of Five Power Defence Arrangements
editOn 1 November 2011, Singapore hosted the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA)'s 40th-anniversary celebrations, with the defence ministers, aircraft and servicemen from all five signatory countries converging on the air base to participate in the event. Amongst the participating aircraft spotted roosting at the dispersal area of the air base were Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-15SG Strike Eagle, Royal Air Force's Typhoon FGR4, Royal Australian Air Force's F/A-18A Hornets, Royal Malaysian Air Force's F/A-18D Hornets and Royal New Zealand Air Force's P-3K2 Orions.[6] Later, a gala dinner was hosted by Singapore's defence minister, Ng Eng Hen, at Singapore's Istana whereupon they called on the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, to discuss a multitude of issues. Codenamed Exercise Bersama Lima, the three days joint exercise is expected to test the readiness and cooperation between all participating countries and should conclude on 4 November 2011.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "DSTA Develops New Changi Air Base Extension". Defence Science Technology Agency. 15 July 2002.
- ^ "Changi Airport (SIN/WSSS) - Airport Technology". www.airport-technology.com. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
- ^ "SINGAPORE CHANGI AIRPORT – UPDATED INFORMATION AND DATA FOR RUNWAY 02R/20L" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Changi East". Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Parliament: Paya Lebar Airbase relocation will be completed from 2030". Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Photo Gallery: Singapore Hosts FPDA 40th Anniversary Celebrations: The FPDA Defence Ministers in a group photo after viewing the static display of aircraft participating in Exercise Bersama Lima 2011" (Press release). MINDEF. 1 November 2011. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- ^ "Singapore Hosts FPDA 40th Anniversary Celebrations" (Press release). Singaporean Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). 1 November 2011. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
