Singapore will purchase eight F-35A fighter jets, bringing the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)'s future F-35 fleet to 20, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced on Wednesday (February 28).
The F-35As that Singapore ordered are variants with a larger payload and longer range than the F-35Bs - Photo: Business Insider
The purchase follows existing orders for 12 F-35Bs from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The F-35As are expected to be delivered around 2030 while the F-35Bs, ordered in 2020 and 2023, are expected to arrive in Singapore in 2026 and 2028, respectively.
So what exactly will the F-35A bring? And how does it differ from the F-35Bs currently on order?
The necessary complement
The F-35A can fly farther and carry more weapons than the F-35B. But while the F-35B can take off from very short distances and perform vertical landings, the F-35A takes off and lands conventionally.
The F-35B’s maneuverability is invaluable. It will enhance the RSAF’s operational flexibility and enable them to launch a counterattack even if their runways are destroyed by the enemy.
These capabilities come at a cost, however. The hardware that allows the F-35B to take off and land takes up space, reducing the amount of fuel and weapons it can carry.
“The F-35A – the conventional take-off and landing variant – has a higher internal fuel capacity, allowing it to operate for longer than the B variant,” the Singapore Ministry of Defence (RSAF) said in a statement released on Thursday.
“Without the need for the existing lift fan on the F-35B to provide short take-off and vertical landing capabilities, the F-35A can carry a higher payload, thereby complementing the limitations of the F-35B, and providing the RSAF with greater flexibility to meet diverse operational needs,” the announcement said.
The F-35A's weapons payload is 8,160 kg, while the F-35B can carry a payload of 6,800 kg.
The ability to take off and land vertically gives the F-35B flexibility and allows the Singaporean air force to operate even when its airfields are attacked - Photo: Lockheed Martin
“The larger payload means being able to carry more air-to-air missiles, larger bombs internally – with 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs instead of 1,000-pound bombs – and more bombs externally on the wings,” said Dr Peter Layton, an expert at the Lowy Institute (Australia).
With an internal fuel capacity of 8,278 kg, the F-35A has a range of 2,200 km while the F-35B can carry 6,125 kg of fuel internally, with a range of 1,667 km.
The F-35A is also cheaper than other F-35 variants because it is “technically simpler,” said senior analyst Euan Graham of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The Singapore government did not provide detailed figures on the cost of the aircraft. However, according to a US government spokesperson, the average price for the F-35As delivered between 2023 and 2025 is believed to be around $82.5 million.
Additionally, the maintenance costs for the two aircraft are different. “The F-35B is more complex and expensive to maintain, and has lower reliability and availability,” said Dr. Layton.
Value of additional payload and long range
With the ability to fly longer while carrying more weapons, the F-35A can serve as a reliable sentinel and line of defense at long distances, according to Dr. Layton.
“The F-35A could serve as a ‘stealth eye in the sky’, with high survivability, it could link radar detection data to approaching hostile aircraft,” said Dr Layton.
The F15s or F-16s that the Singapore Air Force operates have long range and large payload but lack stealth capabilities - Photo: RSAF
The F-35s will replace Singapore’s aging F-16 fleet, which is expected to retire in the mid-2030s. And the RSAF’s future force will include the F-35A, F-35B and F-15SG. Together, the fighters will be able to perform “the full range of missions required to defend Singapore’s skies,” said Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Jianwei, head of the RSAF’s Next Generation Fighter Project Office.
What are the pros and cons of having both F-35 variants?
Returning to Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen's speech, when the Singaporean military chief said that the F-35A would "complement" the F-35B, military analysts also agreed that this is the main benefit of the RSAF having both F-35 variants.
Euan Graham of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the RSAF would be able to continue operating the F-35Bs if the runways used by the F-35As were “inoperable”. Meanwhile, Dr Layton said the F-35Bs would be “a viable backup option if Singapore’s air bases were to be shut down for a short period of time”.
Dr Cynthia Cook, Director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Singapore will be one of the few countries to operate two variants of the F-35 and “this demonstrates Singapore’s status as a highly capable partner”.
However, the downside to using these two variants is that maintenance costs could increase. “There are enough differences between the two aircraft that maintenance personnel may need additional training, and there will be a lot of different parts that need to be managed well to repair efficiently,” says Dr Cook.
Dr Layton agreed, noting that the airframes and engines of the two F-35 variants are different. However, he noted that the RSAF could still save some money because both F-35 variants have similar electronics and can rely on similar simulators.
Quang Anh
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