Everything about Changi Air Base totally explained
|
Changi Air Base or
Changi Air Base (West), formerly
RAF Changi, is a
Republic of Singapore Air Force airbase located in
Changi to the eastern tip of
Singapore. Sited at two locations to the
east and
west of
Singapore Changi Airport, it co-shares runway facilities with the civilian airport and currently occupies a third runway slated for future expansion for civilian use. Together, the two bases houses the 121 Squadron, 112 Squadron, 145 Squadron, the Field Defence Squadron, the Air Logistics Squadron and the Airfield Maintenance Squadron. The air base crest carries the motto:
"Together in Excellence".
RAF Changi
The air base traces its beginnings to 1940s, when many of the
Allied prisoners-of-war, housed in the nearby
Changi Prison, were forced to build the facility under the direction of the Japanese occupiers after the
fall of Singapore in
1942. Two unpaved landing strips were built between 1943 to 1944, intersecting in a cross layout and in approximately north-south and east-west directions. The
airfield facility became a
Royal Air Force station and was renamed
RAF Changi in 1946 after the Japanese surrender. Imprisoned Japanese were then made to improve the runways, reinforcing the north-south runway for military aircraft and adding perforated steel plates to the east-west runway.
In addition,
RAF Chia Keng - a
GCHQ radio receiving station, was a satellite station of
RAF Changi (being the Headquarters Air component part of
British Far East Command) until the British Forces withdrawal from Singapore. Also, the nearby
Changi Hospital (now defunct) functioned as the primary
British military hospital providing medical care for all British
servicemen (including RAF) stationed in the Eastern part of Singapore, while
Alexandra Hospital was put in charge for those stationed in the Western part of Singapore.
Changi Air Base
Upon the withdrawal of British forces from Singapore, RAF Changi was renamed as
Changi Air Base and handed over to the
SADC (predecessor of
Republic of Singapore Air Force) on 9 Dec 1971. Thereafter, the base received its first flying squadron - the
Alouette Squadron and their
Alouette IIIs helicopters shortly after
New Year's Day 1972. With the arrival of the first
Shorts Skyvans in 1973, SADC began to form the
121 Squadron at Changi Air Base and it's currently the oldest resident squadron of the base.
In June 1975, part of the airbase was acquired and work commenced on the new
Singapore Changi Airport, with the new runways in close alignment with the original north-south runway. The east-west runway was almost erased from the map, currently surviving as a taxiway to the apron area which has remained operational as part of Changi Air Base.
Changi Air Base (West)
Following the opening of the new
Changi Air Base (East) on
29 November 2004, the existing facilities at Changi air base has been renamed as
Changi Air Base (West).
The flying squadrons now are:
The Support Squadrons are:
Air Logistics Squadron (ALS)
Field Defence Squadron (FDS)
Airfield Maintenance Squadron (AMS)
Photo Gallery
Image:RAF Changi Crest.jpg|RAF Changi Crest Badge.
Image:HQFEAF.jpg|Crest badge of HQ RAF Far East Air Force (air component of British Far East Command), which was Headquartered at RAF Changi.
Image:CF 001162.jpg|Men of 5353 Airfield Construction Wing, Royal Air Force (RAF), assist and supervise Japanese prisoners of war during the construction of the main runway at Changi.
Image:CF 001165.jpg|Japanese prisoners of war laying some of the 11900 rolls of bituminized hessian sheeting that provided a waterproof bedding for the main runway at Changi.
Image:CF 001158.jpg|View of the main runway at RAF Changi, Singapore, soon after its completion. The runway, constructed from 276,680 pierced steel sheets was 2000 yards in length and 50 yards wide and able to take the largest aircraft then in service with the RAF.
Image:RAF Changi Nimrod MR1 crosses the road.jpg|A No. 42 Squadron RAF Nimrod MR1 crosses the road from the tarmac to the apron area of RAF Changi.
Image:121Sqn Fokker 50 MPA.jpg|121Sqn's Fokker 50 MPA.
Image:RSAF KC-135R.jpg|112Sqn's KC-135R.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Changi Air Base'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://changi_air_base.totallyexplained.com">Changi Air Base Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
