Eight of Singapore’s 20 F-35 jets will be based at Tengah, the rest in the US: Report

SINGAPORE – 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.

Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) had initially bought four of the aircraft in 2019, with an option to buy eight more, with the sale valued at some US$2.75 billion according to the US government.

The ministry then exercised the option to purchase the additional eight aircraft in 2023.

The remaining eight of the 20 F-35s acquired by MINDEF will be situated at Tengah Air Base.

These are the F-35As that 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.

When contacted, the ministry directed The Straits Times to a media reply it issued on Feb 9, in which it said that it would share more information when details have been firmed up.

It said then that specifics had not been finalised as planning and production were still ongoing.

Aqil Hamzah is a transport journalist at The Straits Times. He is also interested in issues related to crime and technology.