Israeli Plane That Circled Over Singapore Airspace was Doing ‘Commercial Product Demonstration’ for ST Engineering

While we’re all concerned about how we’re going to survive off GrabFood again, something exciting was brewing in the online sphere.

An Israeli plane circling around Singapore’s southwestern airspace on 24 and 25 May 2021.

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

Well, some online news portals felt that it wasn’t just a plane, but one that was meant for intelligence purpose.

Dubious Purpose

Malaysian online news outlet MalaysiaNow wrote about the four-hour flight and said it could “trigger tension” between Singapore and its Muslim neighbours.

The online news publication also went one step further and implied that this move could’ve been linked to an announcement made by the Malaysian government.

It was also speculated that the plane was a “test-bed” aircraft, carrying sensitive radar and reconnaissance equipment.

A report speculated that the modified plane is also used “to accommodate maritime patrol slogan intelligence systems, image intelligence, airborne early warning systems (AEW) and commercial aircraft missile protection systems.”

Is that true? Maybe not.

Commercial Product Test

ST Engineering has stepped forward to clarify the situation.

According to the spokesperson, the modified Boeing-747 was performing a “commercial product demonstration” for the company over these two days.

It operated out of ST Engineering Aerospace’s facilities in Paya Lebar.

While no details were revealed about the nature of the demonstration, or what the aircraft carried, the company said that the plane has completed the demonstration.

Preparations are currently being made for the aircraft in question to leave Singapore.

Done Solely Within Singapore’s Airspace

If you type the search term “Israeli plane Singapore” into Google Search engine today, you’ll come across a few Malaysian articles about the flight.

Other than the speculation about sensitive intelligence equipment, another article wrote that the flight reportedly entered Malaysia airspace before landing in Singapore.

According to ST Engineering, the demonstration flight was all done solely within Singapore’s airspace and waters.

A Long-lasting Relationship

If you’re well-versed in history, you’ll remember that when Singapore split from Malaysia, Israel answered Singapore’s call for help to form a deterrence force.

Then, Israel was very “proactive” in helping post-colonial countries in Asia and Africa, which was why they reached out when Singapore asked for help from many different countries.

Today, the Singapore-Isreal relationship has grown beyond defence into other areas, including trade, culture and research.

Feature Image: Facebook (Info Roadblock JPJ/POLIS) / FlightRadar24