RSAF tanker-transport plane returns to Singapore after mission to help Afghan evacuees
Singapore Army personnel assisting the evacuees as they board the A330 MRTT at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. (Photo: Ministry of Defence)
SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) tanker-transport plane that was deployed to assist in the evacuation of Afghans returned to Singapore on Friday (Sep 10), after concluding its humanitarian mission.
The RSAF A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) was deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to help ferry evacuees to Germany, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in a news release.
“Over the two weeks of its deployment, the SAF transported more than 2,000 evacuees,” it added.
The MRTT, which can carry up to 266 passengers or 37,000kg of cargo, can be used to evacuate the sick or injured.
A total of 77 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel - including pilots, aircrew and engineers - were deployed for the mission.
Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong received the returning members at Changi Air Base (East), accompanied by other senior Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers including Chief of Army Major-General Goh Si Hou and Chief of Air Force Major-General Kelvin Khong.
The mission came after the US government accepted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s offer to help it evacuate refugees from Afghanistan, which was made during US Vice President Kamala Harris’ official visit to Singapore last month.
