Singapore Seriously Considers F-35 Stealth Fighter Acquisition - Replacing the F-16 or Expanding the Fleet?

Singapore’s Defence Ministery has announced that it is formally considering acquiring the F-35 fifth generation single engine light fighter to modernise its aerial warfare capabilities - which will likely mark the first sale of a stealth fighter to a Southeast Asian country. Singapore’s Air Force has a long history of acquiring high end Western combat aircraft, and currently fields 60 F-16C Fighting Falcons in a lighter supporting role to the F-15SG Strike Fighter. While the F-16 is a widely exported platform, and its deployment is considered standard for U.S. defence clients, the F-15SG represents a high end platform capable of both air superiority and long range strike missions - and is widely considered the most capable variant of the F-15 ever developed. The Air Force also deploys a small contingent of F-5E twin engine light fighters, which have been extensively upgraded to deploy modern sensors AIM-120 air to air missiles making them potentially lethal in beyond visual range air to air engagements.

F-15SG Strike Fighter

Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen previously stated in July 2018 that the country was looking for a replacement for the F-16 to serve as a lighter complement to the F-15. He said regarding the military’s plans that a decision would be made within the coming months, and that: “F-16s would face obsolescence beyond 2030.. To plan for a replacement is not as if you are going to buy a new car, you actually need a lead time of eight to 10 years. You need to know first of all what platform, what your needs are, how you are going to maintain. You also need to know how you are going to train your pilots, where you are going to train pilots, especially on such a small island.”

Singaporean Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon

The F-35A represents a fifth generation analogue to the F-16C, deploying next generation sensors and electronic warfare systems and high end radar evading capabilities. A number of reports indicate that Singapore may also show interest in acquiring the F-35B, a short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 which can deploy from short or makeshift runways - an invaluable asset given the limited runway space in the city state. Whether the F-35 will replace the F-16 outright in Singaporean service however, or weather a number of Fighting Falcons will continue to serve, remains to be seen. With Singapore also reportedly considering upgrading its Fighting Falcons to the F-16V - a ‘4+ generation’ fighter with comparable sensors and electronic warfare systems to the F-35 - it is likely that the F-16 will continue to serve into the 2030s, most likely in upgraded form. Should Singapore acquire the F-35 in large numbers and retain its Fighting Falcons in service by upgrading them to the F-16V, the acquisition program could lead to a considerable overall expansion of the country's fighter fleet.