The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced on Friday, Jan. 18 that Singapore is buying a small number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to replace its ageing F-16s.

The replacement is “part of our overall plan for modernisation” of the Singapore Armed Forces and will be done within defence budget constraints, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Sunday, Jan. 20.

F-16s that were in service since 1998 will have to retire soon after 2030.

More expensive and advanced option favoured

There are two models of the F-35:

• The F-35A conventional take-off and landing model costs US$89.2 million (S$121.2 million)

• The F-35B model costs US$115.5 million (S$157 million)

Singapore is particularly interested in buying the F-35B model, which can take off from shorter runways and land like a helicopter.

Won't eat into budget

However, Ng reassured that the high cost will pay off in the long run.

"We know how to stretch it out and if we plan long, we will be able do it," Ng said on Sunday.

"So it’s always a significant investment into defence, but we don't see a large spike in defence spending for this year's budget."

F-35 specifications

The F-35B will also reduce the RSAF’s need for long runways.

It will be the first time that Singapore operates a stealth aircraft.

Lockheed Martin agreed to cut prices for all three variants of the F-35s in September 2018.

Costs for the F-35A conventional take-off and landing model were cut to US$89.2 million (S$121.2 million) from US$94.3 million (S$128 million).

Those for the F-35B model dropped 5.7 percent to US$115.5 million (S$157 million).

Next generation fighter

The evaluation for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter took more than five years.

This duration was longer than expected as the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency had to go through specifications and needs in detail, Ng said on Facebook.

Some 13 countries, including Australia, Israel and South Korea, have already chosen it as their next-generation fighter jet.

Some of the plus points of the F-35 are that they are stealthier and can gather data from other platforms and give pilots a better sense of threats around the aircraft.