Boeing announced on 21 December that it has been awarded a fourth Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) deal to support the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF’s) F-15SG aircraft fleet.
Under the 10-year direct commercial sale contract, the company will closely work with the RSAF to continue providing customised support services for the aircraft, while service representatives will continue to provide on-site technical support.
“This tailored, performance-based solution, coupled with Boeing’s platform expertise, helps our Singapore customer to optimize the full capability of their fleet,” said Andy Vest, director of Asia Sustainment Programs for Boeing.
Singapore selected the twin-engine F-15SG, one of the most advanced variants of the F-15E Strike Eagle multirole combat aircraft, in 2005 under the Next Generation Fighter (NGF) programme to replace the service’s upgraded but ageing A-4SU Super Skyhawks.
Although the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has only officially announced separate acquisitions totalling 24 aircraft since then, it is widely believed that the RSAF now operates up to 40 aircraft alongside the 60-strong Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon fighter. The latter is also undergoing an extensive mid-life upgrade programme that is expected to be completed by 2023.
Traditionally, a customer acquires a system and its related parts and services and then further expends capital and manpower to sustain it throughout its lifecycle. As a result, it becomes increasingly expensive when the system ages and performs below operational thresholds. PBL, in contrast, seeks to leverage contractor expertise and resources, and incentivise them to reduce operational and sustainment costs at the desired level of operational readiness.
Earlier in 2018, Boeing signed an agreement with Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) to pursue joint development of an information management tool leveraging data analytics to identify trends and insights on aircraft performance.
The information management tool will analyse flight and maintenance data for the RSAF’s F-15SG and AH-64D Apache attack helicopter, which is also made by Boeing. The data will also be used to develop algorithms for predictive analytics for smarter maintenance and operations.
by Jr Ng
