Singapore will acquire eight examples of the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL)-configured F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter to supplement the 12 short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)-capable F-35Bs it has already purchased.
The move was announced by Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen during a parliamentary address on February 28 and was further confirmed in statements issued on his and the Singapore Ministry of Defence’s (MINDEF’s) official social media channels the same day. The eight new F-35As will eventually supplement the 12 F-35Bs that have already been ordered for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and are scheduled for delivery between 2026-2028. With this, Singapore will become the fourth nation to employ at-least two different variants of the F-35, after the US, Italy and Japan.
Singapore initially joined the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme in 2004 and ordered its first four F-35Bs in 2020, followed by a further eight in 2023. The F-35B deal is worth an estimated $2.75bn. According to Ng, if the Singaporean parliament approves the latest F-35A acquisition, the additional fighters would arrive by 2030, which is when the RSAF currently plans to retire its F-16C/D Block 52 Fighting Falcon fleet.
Ng explained that now was the most opportune time to purchase additional F-35s, given the type’s vast order backlog and the fact that it is now more competitively priced against rival platforms. “Globally, there are close to 2,500 F-35s on order, a healthy pipeline. Because of that, the F-35 is now priced more competitively, comparable to the F-15EX. Its battlefield successes have prompted more countries to jump onboard the programme. MINDEF will capitalise on this window of opportunity to accelerate our F-35 programme,” he said.
MINDEF also noted that both the F-35A and F-35B are suitable for operations from Singapore’s limited land space, with the ‘A’ model being able to operate from already established RSAF bases and boasting dependable endurance, higher capacity payloads and more operational flexibility. Meanwhile, the STOVL-capable F-35B enables it to maintain an edge from operating locations in more austere environments.
