RSAF to have 12 F-35B jets by 2030: Ng Eng Hen

Ministry exercises option for 8 more planes to support drawdown of ageing F-16s

- Andrew Wong

The Ministry of Defence will acquire eight more F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, growing its fleet to 12 of the jets by the end of this decade.

With the full complement of these fifth-generation stealth jets, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will further hone its fighting edge even after it phases out older warplanes that are approaching obsolescence, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Friday.

"This acquisition will support the progressive drawdown of our ageing F-16s, which are due to retire from the mid-2030s onwards," he said. "The RSAF with F-35s and F-15s will be a strong air force to protect our skies."

At the debate on his ministry's budget, Dr Ng stressed that defence is a long-term business, and thanked the House for its constant and strong support through the years for steady defence spending.

This had enabled the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to successfully complete a modernisation that took two decades.

"We can have a quiet satisfaction that the SAF today is recognised as one of the most advanced in Asia," he said. "The SAF is not large relatively, but all our services operate modern, state-of-the-art platforms (that) can prosecute campaigns to address a spectrum of security challenges."