SAF Completes C-130 Aircraft Deployment for Airdrop Operations Over Gaza

04 April 2024

RSAF conduct Airdrop Operations over Gaza, Palestine with C-130H (all photos: RSAF)

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) C-130 transport aircraft has returned from its two-week deployment in Jordan, after completing the delivery of Singapore's third tranche of humanitarian aid and conduct of humanitarian airdrop operations over Gaza. The SAF mission crew was received by Chief of Air Force Brigadier-General (BG) Kelvin Fan, together with the crew's families and senior officers from the SAF, at a ceremony held at Paya Lebar Air Base this evening.

The C-130 and mission crew from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Singapore Army conducted airdrop operations over Gaza, staged out of Amman, Jordan, in coordination with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. During this deployment, over 20 tonnes of food supplies, equivalent to over 59,000 meals, was delivered via airdrop operations into Gaza. These food items that were airdropped were contributed by the SAF and Non-Governmental Organisations such as Relief Singapore and Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiative Singapore, and also included some supplies from the Jordanians.

In his address to the SAF mission crew at the ceremony, BG Kelvin Fan said, "You have all been in Jordan for the past 2 weeks, playing a very important role in Singapore's third tranche of humanitarian assistance to Gaza… Together, all of you have successfully conducted humanitarian airdrop operations in Gaza, providing them with much needed assistance… The SAF's swift deployment to Jordan to deliver humanitarian aid and to conduct airdrops in Gaza demonstrated our professionalism and our operational readiness. When the decision was made, our operational crew, comprising personnel from the RSAF, the Army and ST Engineering, swung quickly into action."

Contingent Commander for this deployment, Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Goh, also reflected on the operation and said, "The C-130 completed multiple airdrop sorties in-theatre, working closely with the Royal Jordanian Air Force as well as other participating nations to deliver food supplies into Gaza… The ability for all of us, coming from different parts of the SAF, to execute the mission smoothly is only possible because of our regular training together, and the strong emphasis on standards and fundamentals. One key challenge we had in-theatre was the fog of war and this was due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza as well as the evolving ground situation."

(Sing Mindef)