From Osprey Red to Black Knights

The team was formed in 1973, five years after the air force itself, as Osprey Red, and took the name Black Knights in 1974, after the chess piece that can leap obstacles. The knight is also the formation insignia of Tengah Air Base, the team’s home. In 1979 four team members were killed when their aircraft flew into a cloud-covered mountain in Quezon province in the Philippines; a pilot whose aircraft was grounded by a fault survived.

Hunters, Tigers and Skyhawks

The team grew with the air force: a four-ship of Hawker Hunters in the 1970s, five F-5E Tiger IIs in the 1980s, then six locally re-engined A-4SU Super Skyhawks in the 1990s. At Asian Aerospace 2000, with only two F-16s available, four A-4SUs were added to make a mixed six-ship team, and the A-4SU’s last team appearance was the National Day Parade of 9 August 2000. Training was flown largely over the Southern Islands live-firing area for lack of airspace.

F-16s and a pause

Because the RSAF has no dedicated display squadron, the team draws F-16Cs and pilots from the operational squadrons. After almost eight years it returned at the first Singapore Airshow in February 2008, displayed at Don Muang for the 25th anniversary of RSAF–RTAF exercises and introduced a crescent-and-stars scheme for the 2014 airshow. After the SG50 displays of August 2015 it was stood down, since tying up eight F-16s was judged not cost-effective; English Wikipedia says that as of 2025 there were no plans to revive it.