U.S. Approves Sale of 12 F-35B Vertical Landing Stealth Jets to Singapore

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of up to twelve F-35B vertical landing capable stealth fighters to Singapore, according to a recent statement by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperating Agency (DSCA). The deal will be worth up to $2.75 billion, and include up to 13 Pratt and Whitney F135 engines, spare, electronic warfare systems, C4I/CNI systems, training, logistical equipment and other combat and supporting equipment. Singapore is considered a Major Security Cooperation Partner in the Asia-Pacific region, and has long been a leading client for advanced American weapons systems - currently fielding the F-16C and F-15SG which form the mainstay of its fleet. The country announced moves from mid-2018 to find a replacement for the ageing F-16, which its defence ministry predicts will be obsolete in the near future, and previously placed a small order for F-35A fighters.

The F-35B is a more costly variant of the F-35 - the most expensive fighter in production anywhere in the world - and has a shorter range and lower manoeuvrability and weapons payload than the F-35A. It is prized for its ability to operate from extremely short or makeshift runways, which is potentially ideal for Singapore which, as a city state, lacks adequate runway space. It remains uncertain on what scale Singapore intends to purchase the specialised aircraft, and the possibility has been raised that it could seek to equip them with European Meteor missiles as the British Royal Air Force has done. Singapore has yet to receive its first F-35 fighters, and decisions regarding the scale of acquisitions will likely wait until the first jets are throughly evaluated.