F-35B til Singapore? - AIN Singapore

Singapore F-35 Buy Moves Closer

by Chris Pocock

 - February 11, 2020, 12:18 AM

While an F-35B from the US Marine Corps wows the crowd here, Singapore looks forward to flying its own stealth fighters

It is doubly unfortunate that Lockheed Martin has pulled out of the Singapore Airshow. There would undoubtedly have been some celebrations within its smart and prominent chalet, to mark the recent and significant milestone in Singapore’s quest to acquire F-35 stealth fighters. Instead, the chalet is locked, and the full-scale model that is usually on show outside lay unassembled nearby in four large shipping containers until just before the show opened.

Singapore joined the F-35 program in 2003, paying to become a Security Cooperation Participant. This enabled it to receive detailed program status and classified performance information. But it was not until March last year that Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen announced that it would purchase four jets “for evaluation,” with an option for eight more. A letter of interest followed, and the purchase moved forward last month when the Pentagon sent the formal notification of the proposed sale to Congress.

The notification confirmed for the first time that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) had requested the F-35B Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) version. The STOVL capability has a particular attraction for small Singapore, because its four airbases are vulnerable to attack if the neighbors should turn unfriendly. The RSAF regularly practices dispersed fighter operations from emergency runways; most showgoers will have traveled to here along one, on the East Coast Parkway.