Singapore’s acquisition of 20 F-35 stealth fighters and related equipment cost US$4.06 billion (S$5.17 billion), according to a US Department of War report.
This is the first official disclosure of the total contract value. The report, published in April and made public on Aug 3, also detailed the delivery timeline of the fifth-generation fighter jets and where they will be stationed.
The first F-35 fighter aircraft for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will be delivered to a US airbase at the end of 2026, with Singapore expected to house them locally only in 2029.
Twelve of the jets are F-35Bs, all of which will be permanently stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the report stated. RSAF’s F-35 training will be conducted at this location.
The F-35B has short take-off and vertical landing capabilities, allowing them to take off from shorter runways, as well as to hover and land like a helicopter.
These features provide “more operational flexibility” in land-scarce Singapore, then Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had said in Parliament in February 2024 during the Budget debate.
When contacted, the ministry directed The Straits Times to a media reply it issued on Feb 9 about the local delivery and location base of the fighter jets.
It said then that it would share more information when details have been firmed up, citing how the local delivery timeline of the F-35s and where they will be based will be guided by the overall project schedule and training requirements.
MINDEF also added then that specifics had not been finalised as planning and production were ongoing.
The F-35As can carry a higher weapon payload of 8,160kg, compared with the F-35B’s 6,800kg. They also have a higher fuel capacity and can fly up to 2,200km. In comparison, the F-35B has a shorter flying range of 1,667km.
The Department of War report added that MINDEF had started work on designing a main operating base for the F-35As to be housed in Singapore, with it expected to be up and running in the fourth quarter of the US fiscal year 2029. The US fiscal year will run from Oct 1, 2028, to Sept 30, 2029.
MINDEF has not publicly stated the cost of the stealth fighters, which are meant to replace the ageing F-16s.