Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in Parliament on Friday to the Supply Committee that the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces agreed to exercise their option to purchase eight additional short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL)-capable F-35B fighter aircraft from the United States. When completed, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will have 12 F-35B in the inventory.
Previously in March 2019, the Singapore Ministry of Defence had announced an initial purchase of four F-35B fighters, with an option to acquire eight more. A Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) was signed with the United States (US) government in 2020, allowing additional, user-only access to F-35 information and facilities. According to Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) press release, the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Singapore of 12 F-35B would have an estimated cost of $2.750 billion.
The first four F-35B aircraft are currently on the manufacturing line and will be delivered by Lockheed Martin to Singapore in 2026. A further eight units will be delivered by the end of the decade.
The acquisition of an additional eight F-35Bs will support the downsizing of the RSAF"s ageing F-16s. As mentioned, the RSAF"s F-16s will be retired in the mid-2030s.
