Lockheed Martin Contracted to Upgrade Singapore’s F-16 Fighters Alongside F-35B Deal

American’s largest defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $67.6 million contract to upgrade the Singaporean Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon fourth generation fighters. This comes amid comprehensive efforts to modernise the Singaporean fleet, including purchases of new munitions for its F-15SG heavyweight fighters and orders for F-35 fifth generation stealth fighters. Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen in 2018 referred to the F-16 as a design approaching obsolescence, one which as of 2020 has been in service for 42 years. It has been speculated that Singapore could seek a more comprehensive upgrade package in future to bring a portion of the Fighting Falcons in service to the F-16V ‘4+ generation’ standard - integrating a powerful AESA radar and new displays and electronic warfare systems. The F-35 slated to replace the Fighting Falcons has a considerably higher operational cost, and replacing the entire fleet of older aircraft would likely require a significant reduction in fleet size. It is likely, therefore, that Singapore will seek to field a balance of F-16V and F-35 aircraft complemented by the heavier F-15s.