Singapore Technologies Aerospace (STAe) has begun work at its Peya Lebar plant to convert the first of eight Taiwanese Northrop Grumman F-5Es to Tigereye reconnaissance aircraft.
According to Taiwanese sources, the unannounced deal has seen at least three aircraft already delivered to Singapore for conversion to RF-5Es. Work is thought to include modifying the fighter's nose, to house either pallet-mounted cameras or an infra-red linescan system for night reconnaissance.
The deal was held up for almost 18 months after Taiwan's aerospace industry objected to the contract going to Singapore when its own factories were short of work (Flight International, 23-29 August, 1996).
Despite opening the programme to competitive bidding from Taiwan's Aero Industry Development Centre and local maintenance company Air Asia, the contract was still awarded to STAe. The company is already equipped to do the Tigereye conversion, having previously modified six F-5Es for the Singapore air force between 1990 and 93.
STAe, in the meantime, is having to remodify the nose of Singapore's upgraded F-5E/F fighters to avoid excessive fuselage stress. The aircraft had been re-fitted with a longer F-20 Tigershark type of nose to accommodate the new multi-mode Fiar Grifo radar, while retaining one of its two 20mm guns.The longer nose produces an 11¹ per second turn rate, 2¹ per second faster than that of the F-5E/F's design parameter. It is understood that STAe is reverting to the F-5's original smaller size nose, having managed to fit the radar in other ways.
Singapore plans to upgrade a total of some 49 F-5s at a rate of around two to three aircraft a month. The air force is expected to be ready to form its first operational training squadron with the upgraded fighter soon.
STAe is also hoping to secure a follow-on contract from Venezuela for the structural upgrade of more VF-5A/B fighters. Under a 1990 contract, its has revamped nine aircraft and is discussing a second batch of around five fighters.
Source: Flight International
