Singapore hedges its bets with F-35 decision
Catching few by surprise, Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in a terse statement on 18 January that his country had identified the F-35 as ‘the most suitable replacement to maintain the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s [RSAF] capabilities’ sometime after 2030.
A five-year technical evaluation of the Lockheed Martin F-35 by the RSAF and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) concluded that it was suitable for Singapore’s needs as a replacement for the in-service F-16 fleet.
However, this same announcement underscored that no significant buy has yet occurred.
Nor did Ng mention which variant of the Joint Strike
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