Singapore’s Upgraded F-16s Can Now Fire Israeli Python-5 Air-to-Air Missiles

Singapore's F-16 combat jets are now equipped to launch Python-5 air-to-air missiles, produced by the Israeli company Rafael.

During an air force open house event at Paya Lebar Air Base last week, a display board showcased the enhanced features of their F-16 Fighting Falcons, highlighting their Python-5 missile capability.

Python 5 missile is a fourth-generation air-to-air and surface-to-air weapon with an extended range of 20 km compared to the Python 4's 15 km range. The Python 5 also boasts an upgraded imaging infrared (IIR) seeker with enhanced signal processing and an improved onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) for lock-on-after-launch (LOAL) capabilities.

Additionally, the list of upgrades includes satellite-guided and laser-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) variants.

Singapore had requested the integration of these two weapons as part of its Foreign Military Sales request to the U.S. for an F-16 upgrade package in 2014. The upgrade program also encompassed the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and the CBU-105 (D-4)/B sensor-fused weapon, along with the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array radar, the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, new mission computers, and identification friend or foe technology.

The F-16 upgrade program began with Singapore's 20 F-16D Block 52+ aircraft. The country also operates 40 older Block 52 aircraft delivered from 1998 onward.

A commemorative unit patch for the Singaporean F-16 upgrade program featured an image of a Python missile, alluding to its eventual integration with the jet. The U.S. Air Force's 416th Flight Test Squadron, based at Edwards Air Force Base in California, issued this patch and is also supporting South Korea's ongoing F-16 upgrade program.

The patch also displayed what seems to be the ELL-8212 self-protection jamming pod, which was in use with Singapore's F-16s before the upgrade efforts. The pod is produced by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Singapore's F-16 pilots also utilize the Display and Sight Helmet system, made by the Israeli firm Elbit Systems, enabling them to aim weapons simply by looking at their target.