RAF Seletar

Seletar Airport is a civilian international airport serving the north-east region of Singapore. It is located approximately northwest from Changi Airport, the country's main airport, and about north from the main commercial city-centre.

The airfield was originally opened in 1928 as RAF Seletar, a military airbase of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The base was handed back over to Singapore in 1971. The Government of Singapore intended for Seletar Airport and the surrounding areas to function as the operating aerodrome for their plan to expand Singapore's status as an industrial aviation hub, today known as the Seletar Aerospace Park.

Today, Seletar Airport mostly serves turbo-prop and smaller-sized private and business jet airlines and aircraft. It helps to serve as a secondary destination to Singapore for turbo-prop aircraft to decrease load from Changi Airport, which has heavy air traffic consisting of jet aircraft. Nevertheless, the airport's runway is capable of handling jet aircraft such as the Airbus A320 family. The runway designation is 03/21, where the precise headings on ground of the actual runway are 033° / 210°.

History

RAF Seletar

RAF Seletar was a Royal Air Force station in Singapore between 1928 and 1971. Plans for establishing an airfield, flying boat and naval base in Singapore were first agreed by the RAF in 1921. In 1923, two sites in the northern region of the island were approved. The first planes to arrive at the base were four Supermarine Southampton seaplanes on 28 February 1928.

RAF Seletar was also used for civilian flights from 1930 to 1937, when Kallang Airport was opened.

Amy Johnson landed at Seletar in May 1930 on her UK – Australia flight in her Gipsy Moth named 'Jason'. Amelia Earhart also landed there in June 1937 on her world flight attempt in an Lockheed 10 Electra.

World War II

With the threat of war in the area, the RAF started building up their forces in the Far East in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Seletar airfield was the target of carpet bombing when Japanese navy bombers conducted the first air raid on Singapore, sometime after their ground forces invaded Kota Bahru. It was abandoned when the Japanese took Johor Bahru, which brought their artillery in range of the airfield.

When the Japanese launched their invasion of Malaya and Singapore, Seletar housed four RAF units. 205 Sqn operated Consolidated Catalina flying boats, and No. 36 and No. 100 Squadron RAF operated obsolete Vickers Vildebeest torpedo bombers (as well as five Fairey Albacores acquired by 36 Sqn to supplement its Vildebeests). These flying squadrons were serviced by 151 Maintenance Unit RAF.

21 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force was also based at Seletar in 1941–42, and was in the process of converting from lightly-armed CAC Wirraway trainers to Brewster F2A Buffalo fighters, when hostilities began.

These units stayed until Jan–Feb 1942, soon before the surrender to the invading Japanese.

During the Japanese occupation, Seletar as was in the case of Sembawang came under the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service while Tengah fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. From 1942 through 1945, a number of IJN squadrons were based or transited through Seletar mainly, for training. Among the units known to be based at Seletar during this time were ''936th Kōkūtai'' ( B5N Kate, D3A Val and E13A1 Jake), ''381st Kōkūtai'' (A6M Zero and J2M Raiden). The ''601st Kōkūtai'' was also stationed there for training early before its destruction on board Japanese aircraft carriers during the Battle of the Philippine Sea (Marianas Turkey Shoot) in June. Seletar's present runway was built during the Japanese Occupation.

Post-World War II

After World War II, the base went back to the RAF and, in the late 1940s and 1950s, the base was heavily involved in the Malayan Emergency, with Beaufighters, Spitfires and Mosquitos based there while operating against Malayan Communist insurgents. Among the many squadrons based there during this time were Nos 60, 81 and 205 Sqns of the RAF.Jefford 2001, pp. 48–49. The base was also the home of 390 MU – the Maintenance Base for the whole of the RAF Far East Air Force - FEAF.

During the 1960s, RAF Seletar was home base to No's 103 and 110 Squadrons, both of which were equipped with Westland Whirlwind Mk 10 helicopters and to 34 Squadron, which was equipped with Blackburn Beverley transports. All three Squadrons (among several others) were involved with support of operations in North Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. From June 1962, 66 Squadron (led by Sqn Leader Gray) with their Bristol 192 Belvedere helicopters were also based at Seletar, and were sent on frequent tours and detachments to Kuching, Brunei, Labuan and Butterworth as part of the Borneo hearts and minds campaign (the squadron was later disbanded in March 1969). The helicopter squadrons provided a search and rescue service for the Singapore area. The station was also, at that time, home to 209 Squadron, equipped with Single and Twin Pioneer aircraft. 65 Squadron based at Seletar operated Bloodhound Mk II surface-to-air missiles as anti-aircraft defence from 1 January 1964 until the squadron was disbanded on 30 March 1970 with the equipment and role handed over to 170 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force. Auster aircraft were flown during the Emergency and Confrontation periods in troop/enemy spotting patrols.

In December 1966, three Andover CC Mk1 arrived to replace the ageing Vickers Valetta C1 aircraft of 52 Sqn. 52 Squadron was later reformed in March 1967 after the arrival of a further three aircraft. By now, Confrontation had finished and with no purpose the squadron moved to Changi in 1968 before being disbanded in January 1970.

The RAF station closed at the end of March 1971 (see East of Suez) and Seletar was handed over to Singapore's Department of Civil Aviation.

Several aircraft types flew their last RAF operational sorties from Seletar including the Short Singapore flying boat (Mk.III ''K6912'' of No. 205 Squadron RAF 14 October 1941, aircraft transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF), Supermarine Spitfire (PR.XIX ''PS888'' of 81 Sqn 1954), De Havilland Mosquito (PR.34 ''RG314'' of 81 Sqn 1955), Short Sunderland flying boat (GR.5 ''ML797'' "P" of 205 Sqn, 15 May 1959) and Bristol Beaufighter (TT.X ''RD761'' Station Flight 1960). The Short Sunderland flying boats started in RAF service from ''Seletar'' on 22 June 1938 with 230 Sqn, a sister squadron of 205 Sqn.

Seletar Airbase

The formative years of the SADC (later the RSAF) was established at Seletar Airbase in September 1968, with the setting up of the Flying Training School (FTS) utilising three Cessna 172

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