Commander-in-Chief, Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Punpakdee Pattanakul of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. During their meeting, Dr Ng and ACM Punpakdee reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral defence ties between Singapore and Thailand.

ACM Punpakdee, who is in Singapore for his introductory visit from 19 to 21 December 2023, also called on Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Kelvin Khong after inspecting the Guard of Honour at MINDEF. As part of his programme, ACM Punpakdee visited the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Command at Murai Camp this afternoon, where he received a brief as well as viewed a Heron 1 UAV static display and the UAV simulator. ACM Punpakdee will also co-officiate the Opening Ceremony of Exercise Cope Tiger 2024 with MG Khong and Mobilization Assistant to the Commander of the Pacific Air Forces Major-General Erich C. Novak on 21 December. Exercise Cope Tiger is an annual trilateral exercise conducted by the air forces of Thailand, Singapore and the United States.

ACM Punpakdee's visit underscores the close and long-standing defence ties between Singapore and Thailand. The RSAF and the RTAF interact regularly through high-level visits, professional exchanges, courses, and exercises such as Exercise Cope Tiger. These interactions deepen mutual understanding and strengthen people-to-people ties between personnel from both air forces.