Singapore identifies F-35 jets as ‘most suitable replacements’ for F-16 fleet, defence minister confirms
- ‘We want to procure a few planes first, to fully evaluate the capabilities,’ Ng Eng Hen said
Singapore’s defence minister said on Friday that Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets were the most suitable replacement for its F-16 fleet, and it planned to buy “a few planes first” for evaluation.
With Southeast Asia’s largest defence budget, the wealthy city state is a key prize for global arms companies as it looks to invest in new technology and upgrade its equipment.
Singapore’s fleet of around 60 F-16 jets, which first entered service in 1998, will be retired soon after 2030.
“They (defence agencies) have decided that the F-35 would be the most suitable replacement fighter,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.
“We want to procure a few planes first, to fully evaluate the capabilities of the F-35 before deciding on the acquisition of a full fleet,” he added.
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Ng said defence agencies would speak to their United States’ counterparts to move the process forward, but that it would take 9-12 months to finalise terms on the initial deal.
Singapore will become the third Asian nation after Japan and South Korea to buy the F-35 jets.
In December 2018, Tokyo announced plans to purchase 147 F-35s from the US, making it the world’s largest foreign buyer of the stealth fighter jets. Each jet costs about US$100 million each, making the total purchase worth about US$10 billion. Japan also said it would convert its existing warships into aircraft carriers equipped to carry the F-35 jets “to respond to China in the Pacific”, according to the Japanese parliament.
Meanwhile, South Korea will receive its first two F-35 jets in April or May; with eight more aircraft to be delivered before the end of 2019, according to the Korean press.
The F-35 combat jet, which is equipped with cannons, gun pods and an internal weapons bay that supports bombs and surface-to-air missiles, is designed for launching ground attacks and aerial warfare missions.
The F-35 is primarily funded by the US government, with contributions from other Nato members and American allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Turkey.
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Japan, South Korea and Singapore’s announcements came after China stated it would use its own J-31 stealth fighter jet, an aircraft experts say possesses strikingly similar features as the F-35, for domestic military services in November last year.
The F-35 accounts for about a quarter of Lockheed’s total revenue.
The cost of the most common variation of the jet, the F-35A, is around US$90 million each, based on contract negotiations with the Pentagon in the United States.
The F-35’s price tag has been criticised by US President Donald Trump and other US officials, who have also pointed to numerous production delays and cost overruns.
Last year, all Lockeed Martin’s US and international F-35 fighter jets were grounded for engine inspections following a crash of an F-35B on September 28 near Beaufort, South Carolina.
