An F-16 takes off from the Kalaikunda airbase during the Indo-Singapore joint air exercise in 2006

New Delhi, Oct. 9: India today opened a market for its military by deciding to hire out the Kalaikunda airbase in Bengal to Singapore.

Singapore, a city-state, does not have enough airspace and facilities for drills that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) needs to hone the skills of its pilots and ground crew. It will now use Kalaikunda for the purpose once or twice a year.

The Indian Air Force will charge a fee for the use of the base, billeting facilities, electronic equipment and the aviation fuel it will supply.

The agreement with Singapore sets a precedent despite the political controversies that are likely to surround such deals.

Territorially-challenged countries such as Singapore and Israel need to find the wherewithal to train their technologically-advanced war machines.

Defence ministry sources, of course, did not say that Kalaikunda was being “hired out”. However, they said Singapore will be charged a fee for the use of some resources of the Indian Air Force.

“India and Singapore signed an agreement today on a long-term arrangement for conducting joint training and exercises between the Indian Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Air Force,” an official statement from the defence ministry said.

The agreement was signed by defence secretary Vijay Singh and Singapore’s permanent secretary of defence, Chiang Chie Foo, at the beginning of a two-day India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue today.

“During the dialogue, both sides gave an update on India-Singapore defence relations and expressed the need to further intensify cooperation,” the official statement said. “Sub-groups reported progress made in respective fields including research and development. The regional security aspects, both from Indian and Singaporean perspectives, were discussed.”

An air force source confirmed that the agreement formalises an arrangement that the RSAF had with the IAF. Since October 2004, when the “Sindex” (as the India-Singapore air exercises are named), was hosted in Kalaikunda for the first time, Singapore had sounded India on the use of the airbase.

Since then, the IAF has upgraded facilities at Kalaikunda. More hangars have been built to accommodate aircraft from foreign airforces.

Messing (accommodation) quarters for officers and guests have also been refurbished and expanded. Since 2005, the IAF has also hosted the US Air Force in Kalaikunda for joint exercises despite protests from the Left outside the airbase’s perimeter.