Held bi-annually at the Changi Exhibition Centre, the Singapore Airshow is the largest aviation exhibition and trade conference in Asia. Attracting both industry-related and general public members to the event, the Singapore Airshow welcomed close to 30,000 trade visitors from more than 110 countries and over 20,000 public visitors at the Changi Exhibition Centre from 11 – 16 February 2020. The main highlights of the show consist of the Trade Exhibitions, the aerial display segments and of course, the Static Display Area.
United States Airforce F-22 Raptor
The United States Airforce's (USAF) F-22 Raptor made its debut performance at the Singapore Airshow 2020. This display showed off the Raptor's impressive manoeuvrability achieved by the Raptor's 2-dimensional thrust vectoring. The Raptor also revealed its internal weapon's bay to the crowd. The Internal weapon's bay helps to maintain a small radar cross-sectional area, by storing the weapons inside the aircraft as opposed to mounting them on external pylons. The F-22 Raptor truly captivated the audiences at the airshow, with its pilot Major Joshua 'Cabo' Gunderson demonstrating some very impressive flying, making vapour trails as the F-22 flew over the skies of Singapore.
United States Marine Corps F-35B
The United States Marine Corps also showcased their F-35B (STOVL variant). The F-35B, like the F-22, has an internal weapons bay to stow their weapons payload. Being the Short-Take-Off-Vertical-Landing variant of the F-35, the F-35B comes equipped with a lift fan. This lift fan, paired together with the "Three-Bearing" Swivel nozzle allows the aircraft to take off from very short runways. These two additions also allow the aircraft to "Hover" over a period of time, allowing the aircraft more flexibility and versatility in mission profiles.
People's Liberation Army Airforce BaYi Aerial Display Team
The People's Liberation Army Airforce (PLAAF) showcased their BaYi Display team for the first time at the Singapore Airshow this year. Named after the date of the founding of The PLA (August 1st), the BaYi display team consists of 6 Chengdu J-10 aircraft, equipped with coloured smoke generators. This display demonstrates precision flying, and well-co-ordinated manoeuvres between each pilot in the BaYi team, resulting in an awe-inspiring show for the onlookers at the airshow.
Republic of Singapore Airforce Aerial Display Team
This year, the Republic of Singapore Airforce (RSAF) showed off two AH-64D Apache Attack helicopters together with an F-15SG. This display was a rather complex one to coordinate as it involves both rotor wings and fixed wings aircraft, two very different aircraft types with travelling at very different airspeeds. However, this did not stop the RSAF for putting on an impressive show.
United States Airforce B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress from Andersen Airforce Base (Guam) made its appearance yet again at the Singapore Airshow 2020. Doing a fly by of the show grounds on Feb 15th 2020, the B-52's appearance at the Airshow is a welcomed sight for all aviation enthusiasts alike.
This year's aerial display segment of the airshow was an eye-catcher, with such an impressive display of aircraft. The addition of multiple "first-timers" displays in Singapore added freshness and gave the avgeeks as well as the members of the public something to be dazzled by.
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