SINGAPORE: Lim Chu Kang Road will be converted into a runway from Thursday (Nov 10) to Monday, as part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) exercise to increase its aircraft take-off and landing capability.
Codenamed Exercise Torrent, the alternate runway exercise was last conducted in 2008, and is now in its seventh edition.
The conversion of Lim Chu Kang Road will take about 48 hours and involves 110 RSAF servicemen. Public road fixtures such as lamp posts, traffic lights, bus stops, road signs and guard rails will be temporarily removed.
BG Gan Siow Huang, commander of Air Power Generation Command (APGC) and exercise director, said Exercise Torrent has been challenging internally and externally.
“It takes a lot of cooperation within the RSAF – with the ground crew and the air crew. Externally, for this exercise, we also have to work very closely with national agencies such as the Land Transport Authority, the National Environment Agency and Singapore Police Force,” she said.
She added that the RSAF also had to engage farm businesses in the vicinity so as to “minimise disruption”.
RSAF aircraft F-15SGs will be making its debut in this year’s exercise. Other jets featured include the F-16C/Ds and F-16D+s. These fighter jets will simultaneously take off and land using both Lim Chu Kang Road and the Tengah Air Base runway.
A simulated emergency using hook wire engagement by a Mobile Arrestor Gear (MAG) on the F16 jets will also be conducted. The eight-tonne MAG is a mechanical system that rapidly decelerates an aircraft after it touches down. It can be used for short or temporary runways or in situations where the aircraft has difficulty stopping on its own due to aircraft fault.
Mobile Arrestor Gear. (Photo: Junn Loh)
ME6 Jerediah Ong, Air Force engineer and member of the team overseeing the conversion of the road said they also had to focus on the removal of all foreign objects on the road, such as stones and nails, as these pose risks to the engines of the aircraft.
“Up north (of Lim Chu Kang Road), there are actually a few recycling plants, recycling locations. So, the big trucks go by and they do drop items on the road in the process,” he said.
Lim Chu Kang Road will be closed on Friday until 6pm, as well as on Saturday (8am-6pm) and Sunday until 2pm to facilitate the road transformation.
