"HMS Simbang, "RAF Sembawang" & "Sembawang Airfield" redirects here.

Sembawang Air Base (SBAB) 胜宝旺(三巴旺)空军基地 Pangkalan Udara Sembawang
Sembawang Air Base Crest Badge
IATA: none – ICAO: WSAG
Summary
Airport type		Military
Owner		Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
Operator		Republic of Singapore Air Force
Location		Sembawang, Singapore
Elevation AMSL		26 m / 86 ft
Coordinates		01°25′31″N 103°48′46″E / 1.42528°N 103.81278°E / 1.42528; 103.81278
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
04/22	1,907	6,255	Asphalt
05/23	1,036	3,400	Asphalt

Sembawang Air Base (ICAO: WSAG) is located in the north of Singapore, and is operated by the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The air base goes by the motto of "Dare and Will".

RAF Sembawang

Prior to Singapore's independence from United Kingdom, it was a Royal Air Force station known as RAF Sembawang as well as being the Royal Naval Air Station - HMS Simbang - to the carrier pilots of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm who used it for rest and refit whenever an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy berthed at the nearby HMNB Singapore for refuel and repairs, which also housed the largest Royal Navy dockyard east of Suez up to the time of UK forces withdrawal from Singapore.

After the Japanese capture of Singapore during World War 2, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service took over the two RAF stations of RAF Sembawang and RAF Seletar. Singapore was split into north-south spheres of control, and the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force took over RAF Tengah.

Sembawang Air Base

The base was renamed Sembawang Air Base (SBAB) in 1971 when it was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC). And from 1971 to 1976, under the Five Power Defence Arrangements, Sembawang housed British, Australian and New Zealand forces. In 1983, the airbase became a full fledged rotary-wing air base when the first resident helicopter squadron - the 120 Squadron was permanently relocated from Changi Air Base.

Currently, there are approximately 100 helicopters based in Sembawang Air Base, almost all are operating in support of the Singapore Army and the Republic of Singapore Navy. It is the home base to all the Republic of Singapore Air Force's helicopter squadrons, consisting of AS-332 Super Pumas, CH-47SD Chinooks, Sikorsky S-70B (derivative of SH-60 Seahawk) naval helicopters , as well as the Fennecs and UH-1Hs, which are currently stored in reserve. Recently added to the base are the AH-64D Longbow Apache Attack Helicopters.

The Flying squadrons are:

• 120 Squadron with 20 AH-64D Longbow Apaches;
• 123 Squadron with 4 EC120 Colibri;
• 124 Squadron with 20 AS 550C2/U2 Fennec;
• 125 Squadron with 22 AS332M Super Puma, four of these are configured for Search and rescue duties;
• 126 Squadron with 12 AS532UL/AL Cougar but is currently based at Oakey Airbase in support of SAF's training need in Australia;
• 127 Squadron with 12 CH-47SD Chinooks.

The Support Squadrons are:

• Air Logistics Squadron (ALS)
• Airfield Maintenance Squadron (AMS)
• Field Defence Squadron (FDS)
• Flying Support Squadron (FSS)

Currently, the RSAF's Chong Pang Camp SADA (Singapore Air Defense Artillery), with its associated Air Defense assets, is also located within the compound of the air base as well as the famous local Sembawang Hot Spring.

Photo gallery

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
We don't guarantee the information is fresh and accurate. The data may be wrong or outdated.
For more up-to-date information please refer to other sources.