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In his Committee of Supply speech, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said that the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will exercise their option to purchase eight additional F-35B fighter planes.

Background

In March 2019, MINDEF announced the purchase of an initial four F-35B fighter aircraft, with an option to acquire eight more subsequently.

A Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) was signed with the United States (U.S.) government in 2020, which allowed for additional and users-only access to F35 information and facilities.

The initial four remains on track to be delivered by 2026 and the remaining eight will be delivered by the end of the decade.

Extensive and robust evaluation

According to Mindef and SAF's F-35 project team, there were three key focus areas for the evaluation.

Firstly, in-depth technical and engineering discussions with the manufacturer and other F-35 users were conducted to better understand and determine the integration of the F-35B into the SAF's warfighting system.

Secondly, the RSAF engaged in training and professional exchanges with other F-35 users, to learn more and better harness the F-35B's capabilities.

Lastly, the project team has also participated in multilateral conferences exclusive to F35 users, where important information was gained from the manufacturer and other F-35 users.

RSAF pilots have also evaluated the systems on board the aircraft, and have flown in high fidelity F-35 simulators alongside operational US F-35 pilots.

"This acquisition will support the progressive drawdown of our ageing F-16s, which will retire from mid 2030s. Which means that at steady state, our RSAF will operate F-35 and F-15 fighter planes, the most advanced in the region," Ng said.

Capabilities and integration

The capabilities of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft are as follows:

Stealth: Designed with advanced features such as radar absorbent material and systems with low observable technology, the F-35B is able to evade enemy detection and operate in contested environments.

Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL): The F-35B can take off in very short distances and perform vertical landing on areas smaller than conventional runways.

The STOVL capabilities provide important operational flexibility given Singapore's land scarcity.

Advanced Sensor Suite: The F-35B is equipped with advanced sensors which allow it to collect, analyse, and fuse information gathered.

This means that combined with its stealth capabilities, the F-35B is able to get close enough to avoid detection while being able to see and respond first. The information gathered can then be transmitted to its fleet for them to make the best decision.

Top image from Mindef.