'The F-15SGs are in production and we hope to have the first one rolled out in November this year. Singapore will take delivery of the first one early next year,' said Mr Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Mr Albaugh, who added that production was 'coming along very well', was responding to a query from The Straits Times at a session with reporters at the opening day of the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.
31 May 2008: Straits Times
SINGAPORE is expected to take delivery of its first F-15 Eagle fighter early next year, according to a senior Boeing Company official yesterday.
'The F-15SGs are in production and we hope to have the first one rolled out in November this year. Singapore will take delivery of the first one early next year,' said Mr Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Mr Albaugh, who added that production was 'coming along very well', was responding to a query from The Straits Times at a session with reporters at the opening day of the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.
Singapore has ordered 24 F-15SGs, the latest variant of the all-weather, multi-role fighter that has chalked up an impressive combat record of 101 victories and zero losses around the globe.
The twin-seat fighters are being assembled at Boeing's F-15 production plant in St Louis, Missouri in the United States.
Some of the aircraft will be stationed in a US base in Mountain Home, Idaho, where the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilots and ground crew will be trained.
The purchase of the advanced strike jets was announced in 2005 after the defence and aviation giant beat rivals in the US, Russia and Europe.
Boeing now also has a part to play in a three-cornered fight here to supply the RSAF with training jets.
Rookie pilots hone their skills on them before moving on to more powerful warplanes like the F-15SG.
Britain's BAE Systems Hawk, the Alenia Aermacchi M346 from Italy and South Korea's T50 Golden Eagle are contenders.
On Monday, Boeing announced a partnership with the Italian company to pursue the international trainer jet market, which is estimated at 1,000 aircraft over the next decade.
Asked about this, Mr Albaugh said: 'We'll be supporting their proposal over here for the M346.
'What do we bring? We certainly understand fighters. We certainly understand global customers, and we think by working with Finmeccanica, we can make their offering better.'
Finmeccanica owns Alenia Aermacchi.
The tender is expected to be called by the Defence Science & Technology Agency sometime this year.
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