SINGAPORE – The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) team that was sent to Jordan to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has returned to Singapore.

Family members and colleagues were present to welcome them when their Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 transport aircraft touched down at Paya Lebar Air Base on the afternoon of April 2. The same aircraft was used to airdrop supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.

The C-130 and an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft had left on March 15 carrying Singapore’s third tranche of humanitarian aid to Amman, Jordan, from which the deliveries into Gaza were staged. The RSAF deployment dropped more than 20 tonnes of food supplies, equivalent to over 59,000 meals.

Among those welcoming the RSAF contingent back during the ceremony at the Air Force Museum was the Chief of Air Force, Brigadier-General Kelvin Fan, who thanked the personnel from the RSAF, Singapore Army and defence company ST Engineering for their efforts.

“The SAF’s swift deployment to Jordan to deliver humanitarian aid and conduct airdrops into Gaza demonstrated our professionalism and operational readiness,” he said in his address.

Speaking to reporters at the ceremony, Lieutenant-Colonel Darrell Goh, the contingent commander for this deployment, said the ability of the contingent – who hailed from various services of the SAF – to work together and carry out a smooth mission came from training together regularly. “I’m very proud of my team members coming from across Mindef and SAF who came together on short notice to execute the mission outcomes,” he said.

Also in the contingent was Captain Tan Hui Xin, officer commanding of the Air Terminal Company in the SAF’s 3rd Transport Battalion, who led the rigging team responsible for securing the loads to be airdropped by parachute on each mission.

She told reporters that the safety of civilians on the ground was of utmost importance, and the rigging team had to ensure each load of supplies was rigged safely and securely before it was dropped.

“In order to do so, each load was subjected to multiple layers of inspection by qualified inspectors from both the air force, as well as the army, to ensure that the loads are certified airworthy and safe for drops,” she said.

The supplies were contributed by the SAF and non-governmental organisations such as Relief Singapore and Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives Singapore, and included some supplies from the Jordanians. An earlier first two tranches of humanitarian supplies were delivered in November 2023.