KUALA LUMPUR: As promised I am posting the videos I took during Singapore Air Show last week. I wanted to update the site from Singapore but due technical gremlins, I was unable to do so.

The flight line video. The B1B and the Airbus A380 were the show stoppers, without them the tarmac was so-so. Even the Singaporeans had only three air vehicles (four if you count the Apache in the Land Power video), the F-16D, the Chinook and the UAV. The Changi Exhibition centre is impressive, is located next to the Changi Air Base (totally hidden from view) and display aircraft parked at the flight line took off from the air base runway. The whole area, I believe the size of the KLIA (together with air base ) is completely build on reclaimed land. I think you can see the area if you fly out of Changi on the right runway and happened to seat on the window seat on the right.

Organisation wise the show was superb, it leagues ahead of LIMA and the other local shows. However, one troubling note, not a single Malaysian defence company had a booth at the air show although we are minutes away. Even the Indonesians were there. Our local defence company officials were there as does our military but the lack participation meant that our defence industry remained under the safe cocoon of the Government. Dont you think these companies should be going around the world?

Both videos are land based weapon systems and aircraft on the ground, no aerial displays as I had learned from experience that it is better to have big images on the screen rather than chasing smoke across the skies. The aerial displays were not earth shaking anyway with the Singapore Black Knights performing a disciplined but less than spectacular show.

It was as they said “safe and disciplined” due to the restricted air space. The Americans were flying as usual but one have seen better with at other shows. Without any Russian planes or the Harrier on show, the other aerial displays like the T50, M346 and the Airbus A380 were really not show stoppers. Anyway if you want to see them I guess there are other enthusiasts who posted them on the Net.

More discussions on what happened at Singapore Air Show will be posted later.

– Malaysian Defence