Singapore Orders F-35A And B Fighter Jets To Replace The F-16 Fleet Starting In 2030

Illustration of the F-35 fighter jet. (Wikimedia Commons/Stafff. Madelyn Brown)

JAKARTA - Singapore plans to buy eight F-35A stealth fighters to replace its old F-16 fighter jet fleet, a move that will put the country's air force in the'major league', as regional threats increase, the country's defense chief said.

Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said the Air Force of the Republic of Singapore (RSAF) would buy the F-35A made by Lockheed Martin Corp, which is bigger and has a longer reach.

The order is to complete the country's stealth fighter jet variant, having previously ordered 12 F-35B fighter jets. Minister Ng said Singapore's first F-35B aircraft would be delivered in 2026.

Model B is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, which is an important part of the operation of aircraft carriers, or on-site without a standard runway for takeoff.

"The F-35A is designed for greater durability and has the ability to carry higher capacity payloads," Minister Ng explained when explaining the decision to parliament.

"They complete the F-35B, which has the ability to take off short takeoffs and vertical landings," he said.

The purchases and long-term replacements of several dozen F-16s with the F-35, which began in the mid-2030s, show the RSAF has recorded an upgrade to the capabilities of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which has begun flying advanced aircraft such as the J-20B, said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"This makes Singapore more advanced than other Southeast Asian air force," Davis said, adding that with Australia, South Korea, Japan, and the United States also flying the F-35 in the region, there are opportunities for joint maintenance and support arrangements.

Defense Minister Ng did not disclose the cost of the purchase when giving a speech in front of Singapore's parliament on Wednesday. The price of the F-35 unit may vary depending on the customer and model. Last year, the United States Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin a USD 7.8 billion contract for 126 units of the F-35.

Lockheed Martin declined to comment on the unit's price or the total value of the deal, saying in a statement that it was honored that the Singaporean government had chosen the F-35A as part of the RSAF warplane fleet in the future.

Singapore's Ministry of Defense declined to comment on the cost of the aircraft's unit or total costs.

However, Defense Minister Ng said Singapore's defense budget would increase 2.5 percent in the following fiscal year to 20.2 billion Singapore dollars.

"The risk of regional and even global conflict in the next decade is no longer zero. I do not take this assessment lightly," Defense Minister Ng told parliament.