Singapore plans to buy four US-made F-35 jet fighters to
update its ageing current fleet, the defence minister said Friday 1 March 2019.
The city-state, which has one of Asia's best-equipped
militaries, announced in January it had opted for the Lockheed Martin jets over
rivals from Europe and China, and planned to first buy a small number before
deciding on a full fleet.
Giving an update on the plans, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen
told parliament that Singapore ‘will request an initial acquisition of four
F-35s, with the option of a subsequent eight if we decide to proceed’.
The current price of an F-35 ranges from $90 million to $115
million, he said, adding the cost had been steadily falling due to healthy
orders from around the world.
Ng said the sale had to be approved by US Congress, but had
the backing of the US administration.
Singapore has for several years been assessing which fighter
jet should replace its current fleet of F-16s, which are due to be taken out of
service in around a decade.
The F-35 is a supersonic plane whose advanced stealth
characteristic allow pilots to avoid detection by radars, according to Lockheed
Martin. Its advanced electronic warfare capabilities enable pilots
to locate and track enemy forces, jam radars and disrupt attacks.
The Singapore military also has F-15 fighter jets, Apache
helicopters and submarines in its arsenal.