The first batch of F-35B will be delivered to Singapore in 2026
Singapore will buy eight more F-35 stealth fighter jets to eventually replace its older F-16 fighter jets and move the Singapore Air Force into the “top league” as regional threats intensify, the country’s defense minister said this week.
Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will buy F-35As – a larger, longer-range variant of the Lockheed Martin jet – to supplement the 12 F-35Bs it already has on order.
Ng said the first batch of F-35Bs will be delivered to Singapore in 2026.
The Model B is capable of vertical takeoff and landing, a key part of operating on ships or where traditional runways are not available.
“The F-35A is designed to have increased endurance and the ability to carry a higher capacity payload,” Ng said in explaining the decision to Congress. “They complement the F-35B, which has short takeoff capabilities. and vertical landing capability.”
The acquisition and long-term replacement of dozens of F-16s with F-35s starting in the mid-2030s suggests that the Republic of Singapore Air Force has taken note of the increasing capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, which has begun flying aircraft such as Marr, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Colm Davis said, J-20B.
“This puts Singapore further ahead of other Southeast Asian air forces,” Davis said, adding that with Australia, South Korea, Japan and the United States also deploying F-35s in the region, there are opportunities for common maintenance and support arrangements.
Ng did not disclose the cost of the purchase when he spoke in Singapore’s parliament on Wednesday. The unit price of the F-35 can vary depending on the customer and model; last year, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for 126 F-35s worth $7.8 billion.
Lockheed Martin declined to comment on the unit price or total value of the deal, saying in a statement it was “honored that the Singaporean government has selected the F-35A as part of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s future fighter fleet.”
Singapore’s Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Thousands of F-35s are in service with the United States and its allies around the world.
Ng said Singapore’s defense budget will increase by 2.5% in the next fiscal year to S$20.2 billion.
“Even in the next decade, the risk of regional and even global conflict has become non-zero,” Ng told parliament. “I do not make this assessment lightly.”
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