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The Hawker Hunter Mark 74 was the designation given to 24 Hunters purchased by Singapore, starting in 1968. By the late 1960s it was clear that the RAF presence in the Far East would soon be withdrawn. The recently independent Republic of Singapore (since 1965) decided to built up its own air force, and in 1968 it placed an order for sixteen refurbished Hunter F.6s. Twelve were to be delivered as F.G.A.Mark 74s and four as F.R.Mark 74As.
This was followed by a second order, for twenty-two aircraft to be delivered between June 1972 and October 1973. These aircraft would be delivered as F.R.Mark 74Bs, and were produced by upgrading eight F.4s and fourteen F.6s. At the same time an order was placed for T.Mark 75 two-seat trainers.
The Mk.74 and Mk.74A Hunters were used to equip No.140 (Osprey) Squadron. This squadron, which was based at Tengah, was at one time commanded by Major Chris Strong, a former RAF Hunter pilot. It had a wide range of duties, including air defence, ground support and reconnaissance. Its Hunters normally flew with 230 gallon drop tanks on the inner pylons and French-built SNEB-Matra unguided air-to-ground rockets on the outer pylon. The Mk.74B and T.Mk.75 Hunters were used to equip a newly formed No.141 (Merlin) Squadron