Eight of Singapore’s 20 F-35 jets will be based at Tengah, the rest in the US: Report

The eight jets are the F-35As, which are scheduled to be delivered in 2029. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Straits TimesAqil Hamzah2026-09-03 20:10查看原文 ↗

The 12 F-35B fighter jets procured by MINDEF will be stationed in the US. This variant of the stealth fighter has short take-off and vertical landing capabilities.

Published Sep 03, 2026, 08:10 PM

Updated Sep 03, 2026, 08:10 PM

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s acquisition of 20 F-35 stealth fighters and related equipment cost US$4.06 billion (S$5.17 billion), according to a US Department of War report.

This is the first official disclosure of the total contract value. The report, published in April and made public on Aug 3, also detailed the delivery timeline of the fifth-generation fighter jets and where they will be stationed.

The first F-35 fighter aircraft for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will be delivered to a US airbase at the end of 2026, with Singapore expected to house them locally only in 2029.

Twelve of the jets are F-35Bs , all of which will be permanently stationed at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the report stated.

RSAF’s F-35 training will be conducted at this location.

The F-35B has short take-off and vertical landing capabilities , allowing them to take off from shorter runways, as well as to hover and land like a helicopter.

These features provide “more operational flexibility” in land-scarce Singapore, then-Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had said in Parliament in February 2024 during the budget debate.

Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) had initially bought four of the aircraft in 2019, with an option to buy eight more, with the sale valued at some US$2.75 billion according to the US government.

The ministry then exercised the option to purchase the additional eight aircraft in 2023.

The remaining eight of the 20 F-35s acquired by MINDEF will be situated at Tengah Air Base.

These are the F-35As that can carry a higher weapon payload of 8,160kg, compared with the F-35B’s 6,800kg.

They also have a higher fuel capacity and can fly up to 2,200km. In comparison, the F-35B has a shorter flying range of 1,667km.

The Department of War report added that MINDEF had started work on designing a main operating base for the F-35As to be housed in Singapore, with it expected to be up and running in the fourth quarter of the US fiscal year 2029. The US fiscal year will run from Oct 1, 2028 to Sept 30, 2029.

MINDEF has not publicly stated the cost of the stealth fighters, which are meant to replace the ageing F-16s.

When contacted, the ministry directed The Straits Times to a media reply it issued on Feb 9, in which it said that it would share more information when details have been firmed up.

It said then that specifics had not been finalised as planning and production were still ongoing .

Aqil Hamzah is a transport journalist at The Straits Times. He is also interested in issues related to crime and technology.

Defence and military

新加坡国防部采购的12架F-35B战斗机将部署在美国。这款隐形战斗机具备短距起飞和垂直降落能力。

发布于2026年9月3日晚上8:10

更新于2026年9月3日晚上8:10

新加坡——据美国战争部一份报告显示，新加坡采购 20 架 F-35 隐形战斗机及相关设备耗资 40.6 亿美元（51.7 亿新元）。

这是首次正式披露合同总金额。这份于4月发布、8月3日公开的报告还详细介绍了第五代战斗机的交付时间表及其部署地点。

新加坡空军（RSAF）的首架 F-35 战斗机将于 2026 年底交付给美国空军基地，预计新加坡要到 2029 年才能在本地部署。

报告称，这十二架喷气式飞机是 F-35B，全部将永久驻扎在阿肯色州史密斯堡的埃宾空军国民警卫队基地。

新加坡空军的F-35训练将在此地进行。

F-35B 具有短距起飞和垂直降落能力，使其能够从较短的跑道起飞，并像直升机一样悬停和降落。