SINGAPORE — The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be buying a new missile defence system “many times more potent” than the current I-HAWK ground-based air defence system, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in Parliament today (Sept 16).

The new ASTER-30 Surface-to-Air Missile System will allow Singapore to engage multiple airborne threats simultaneously and from a longer distance, and help provide a multi-layered air defence shield for the island, Dr Ng explained.

The defence minister was replying to a question from Member of Parliament Lim Wee Kiak on how the Government will maintain Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) operational readiness in light of Paya Lebar Air Base’s (PLAB) relocation.

“In 2011, MINDEF and the SAF conducted a thorough assessment of our capabilities and security threats for the long term,” said Dr Ng. “We satisfied ourselves that our security would not be compromised and that relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base could take place after existing airbases at Changi East (CAB) and Tengah Air Base (TAB) have been expanded to accommodate relocated assets and facilities.”

PLAB’s relocation will also be “costly” because it is a “complex undertaking” requiring “fairly intense and highly skilled engineering”, he added.

“In coming in to this decision, we have worked together with MND to calculate the trade-offs,” he said. “And it all balances because the space that is released from the relocated Paya Lebar Air Base, including the height templates around it, on a net basis, it is many billions dollars’ worth of positive returns to the people of Singapore.”