Forty years ago, the Republic of Singapore Air Force was then five-years old, its RAF-trained Hawker Hunter pilots have only clocked a few hundred hours in the jet, but a bold decision was made to form an aerobatics team called the Osprey Red.
Renamed the Black Knights in 1974, the knight was chosen as it was the most maneuverable piece in the game of chess.
Starting from a four-ship Hunter formation, the team has progressed over the years to fly six Lockheed Martin F-16Cs.
Sporting a new paint scheme, all six aircraft will appear in public at the 2014 Singapore Airshow. Retaining the red and white colors – colors of the Singapore flag, a crescent moon and five stars have been added to the top of the F-16.
At Tengah airbase on Jul. 26, Chief of Air Force, Major-General Hoo Cher Mou, officially unveiled the No. 1 jet.
F-16C, tail number 614, was acquired by Singapore under Peace Carvin II FMS program back in 1999. The aircraft has served with 140 Squadron, Singapore’s first fighter squadron, since then. It was flown by Jeffrey Nah as the No. 6 jet in 2008.
