Aerospace

New World Ordnance At Singapore Airshow

To understand the future of air-to-air warfare in Asia, take a careful look at the flying and static displays here. The Malaysian air force’s Su-30MKM is putting on a show that reminds you that the jet was impressive before the astonishing Su-35S – coming to local theaters soon – joined the show circuit. The Rafale is back. On the ground, Singapore’s F-15SG and F-16D are familiar, but some of their features bear a second look.

It’s been a while since anyone claimed in public that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would have a 6:1 air combat advantage over any not-as-stealthy competitor. I don’t know whether the U.S. Air Force ever believed this, but if they still did, they would not be spending billions on upgrades to their 30-to-35-year-old F-15Cs.