The Royal Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has revealed that its newly upgraded F-16 fighter jets have been armed with Israeli-origin Python 5 air-to-air missiles to make the aircraft more combat-capable and lethal as part of its modernization program.

Earlier in July, reports in some publications hinted that the upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 C/D/D+ fighter jets of the RSAF were equipped with cutting-edge missiles produced by Israeli defense firm Rafael.

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The reports cited unnamed Singapore Defense officials to report the development, albeit without an official confirmation.

However, more than a month later, it is only now that a confirmation has been displayed on an information board at a booth put up at Paya Lebar Air Base to show the aircraft. Janes reported that the base will be opened to visitors later this week as part of RSAF’s 55^th anniversary.

The delivery of upgraded F-16 fighters from manufacturer Lockheed Martin started in 2021. The upgrades will keep the jets operational and capable for another decade, said Chief of Air Force Major-General Kelvin Khong in February 2022.

The RSAF is acquiring the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft to add more teeth to its air power amid regional security threats.

The information about the Python-5 air-to-air missile being equipped on an upgraded F-16 of the RSAF wasn’t astonishing because the service has been known to possess the Python-4 for two decades. However, they have barely ever admitted to using the missile.

1. Rare piece of real RSAF news — the mid-life upgrade (MLU) program of its F-16 C/D/D+ includes Rafael Python-5 air-to-air missiles.

2. Python-5 has a dual-waveband Imaging Infra-Red seeker & Infrared Counter-Counter-Measures (IRCCM). IRCCM means it will not chase flares. https://t.co/uh1JUezH7g pic.twitter.com/qQDx3sZXS6

— lhsingapura (@lhsingapura) June 29, 2023

These missiles are notorious for being imported and used secretly as they have fins similar to the AIM-9P and are often misinterpreted as American missiles. An Australia-based defense reporter, Mike Yeo, noted that since the RSAF began equipping its modern F-16s with Python-4 over 20 years ago, “they have never been seen” outside of training drills.

Notably, the RSAF has confirmed the integration of the Python-5 missile on its upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcons. Israel’s air-to-air missiles are believed to be one of the most advanced and potent in the world, making integrating Python on the upgraded RSAF F-16s even more significant.

Singapore has confirmed that it’s upgraded F-16s will use the Python V AAM. While it has been rumoured for almost 20 years they were could use Python IV, they have never been seen although RSAF F-16s have been seen with Python training missiles disguised as AIM-9Ps pic.twitter.com/VU686jlFph

— Mike Yeo 杨启铭 (@TheBaseLeg) June 29, 2023

Rafael developed the Python series of infrared-guided AAMs based on the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) experience with first-generation heat-seeking weapons during air combat in the 1960s and 1970s. Python 4, for instance, is supposed to maneuver at up to 70g and have a 60-degree high off-boresight (HOBS) capability in close-quarters warfare.

The Python-4, which the RSAF likely uses, is also said to be able to turn 180 degrees after launch to intercept a target behind the launch aircraft. Additionally, Python-4 includes more control surfaces and underwent external adjustments. It has an infrared counter-countermeasures (IRCCM) system and a dual-waveband imaging infrared (IIR) seeker.

On the other hand, the most recent Python-5 is enhanced in several ways, notably in its capacity to shoot down targets with minor signatures, such as drones and cruise missiles, and is externally almost identical to Python-4.

Python-5 For Singapore’s Upgraded F-16 Fighters

Singapore has upgraded its F-16 fleet to a standard similar to the F-16V by adding the sophisticated Python-5. The aircraft has also been equipped with Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), and GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb.

It has become clear that the RSAF has chosen Python 5 over the AIM-9X Sidewinder, which was also initially anticipated to be incorporated on the aircraft.

The most recent addition to the Israeli Python air-to-air missile family, Python-5 is a fifth-generation air-to-air missile (AAM) with a relatively low engagement range, operating close to beyond visual ranges. One of the most advanced guided missiles in the world, Python-5 is the Israeli Air Force’s most precise and reliable AAM.

The missile has a complex design that uses 18 aerodynamic surfaces and an advanced seeker that comprises an electro-optical and imaging infrared homing seeker that searches the target area for hostile aircraft before locking it for terminal pursuit.

Python-5 is a dual-purpose missile that may be used for surface-to-air and air-to-air missions. It combines advanced infrared counter-countermeasure (IRCCM) and flight control technologies with a fifth-generation image seeker and contemporary software.

Lock-on-before-launch (LOBL) and lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) features are also available in Python-5. In LOAL mode, the missile receives the target data from the launch aircraft. The missile has a high probability of hitting its target and remarkable resilience against defenses. It can even engage targets that are capable of evasive moves.

The entire sphere launch capability makes a 360° interaction surrounding the launch aircraft possible. Moreover, the missile simultaneously annihilates numerous targets with its all-aspect/all-direction attack capabilities.

The Python-5 made its combat debut in the 2006 Lebanon War when F-16 Fighting Falcons used it to take out two Hezbollah-owned Ababil UAVs built in Iran. On May 13, 2021, an Israeli F-16 with a Python-5 air-to-air missile downed a Shehab suicide drone operated by Hamas.

Python-5 can be integrated with a wide range of aircraft, including the F-35s that the RSAF is also slated to acquire. Some military watchers believe that the RSAF is comfortable admitting the use of the Python-5 even as opposed to the Python-4 because it already uses the Rafael Spyder air defense system, which is armed with both Python 5 and radar-guided Rafael Derby missiles.