Singapore's first F-35 fighter ready by Q4 2026; 8 of 20 jets to be based at Tengah

The first of Singapore's 20 F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters is planned for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The first Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft will be delivered to a US airbase at the end of 2026.

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

Meanwhile, the remaining eight F-35As will be housed at Tengah Air Base from the fourth quarter of 2029.

The report also added that Singapore had begun design works on a "main operating base" at Tengah Air Base to house the F-35As.

These updates were revealed in a US Department of War report dated April 21 that was cleared for open publication on Aug 3.

The report also revealed that Singapore's purchase of the 20 fighter jets and related equipment came at a cost of US$4.06 billion (S$5.17 billion).

In 2017, the Ministry of National Development, National Environment Agency and Singapore Land Authority announced the acquisition of several private land plots, graves exhumation and a road realignment, to support Tengah Air Base's expansion plans .

This is to accommodate some of the assets and facilities from Paya Lebar Air Base — which is being relocated — to free up some 800ha of land in the north-east, while ensuring the RSAF's operational readiness.

The acquisition of the eight F-35As , announced by then-Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence's Committee of Supply debate in 2024, follows an initial acquisition of four F-35Bs in 2019, and another eight of the same short takeoff variant in 2023 .

Explaining Singapore's purchase then, Dr Ng said that the eight F-35As — designed for greater endurance and higher-capacity payloads, will provide the Singapore Armed Forces with "greater operational flexibility" in land-scarce Singapore.

During a visit to Lockheed Martin's production facility in Fort Worth, Texas in September last year, Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing highlighted that the F-35 acquisition is part of MINDEF's and the Singapore Armed Forces' long-term strategy to build up its air force's future fighter fleet.

This future fleet will comprise a diversified mix of F-35As, F-35Bs, and F-15SGs to meet Singapore's operational requirements and to maintain a strong, capable fighter force to safeguard its skies.

Over the past year, Singapore also announced the acquisition of four new Boeing-made P-8A maritime patrol aircraft — expected to enter service in the early 2030s , and three new Gulfstream G550 maritime surveillance aircraft .

新加坡订购的20架F-35第五代隐形战斗机中的第一架计划于2026年第四季度交付。

新加坡共和国空军（RSAF）的首架飞机将于 2026 年底交付给美国空军基地。

这十二架喷气式飞机是 F-35B，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。

与此同时，剩余的 8 架 F-35A 将于 2029 年第四季度起部署在登加空军基地。

报告还补充说，新加坡已开始在登加空军基地建造一个“主要作战基地”，用于安置 F-35A 战斗机。

这些更新内容在美国战争部 4 月 21 日发布的一份报告中披露，该报告于 8 月 3 日获准公开发布。

该报告还透露，新加坡购买这 20 架战斗机及相关设备的总成本为 40.6 亿美元（51.7 亿新元）。

2017 年，国家发展部、国家环境局和新加坡土地管理局宣布收购几块私人土地、挖掘坟墓和重新规划道路，以支持登加空军基地的扩建计划。

这是为了安置巴耶利峇空军基地（正在搬迁）的部分资产和设施，从而腾出东北部约 800 公顷的土地，同时确保新加坡空军的作战准备。

国防部长黄永宏博士在2024年国防部拨款委员会辩论中宣布采购8架F-35A战斗机，此前，韩国已于2019年采购了4架F-35B战斗机，并于2023年采购了另外8架同型号的短距起飞战斗机。

当时，吴博士在解释新加坡购买F-35A的原因时表示，这八架F-35A的设计旨在提高续航能力和有效载荷能力，将为土地资源匮乏的新加坡武装部队提供“更大的作战灵活性”。

去年九月，国防部长陈振声在参观位于德克萨斯州沃斯堡的洛克希德·马丁公司生产设施时强调，采购F-35是新加坡国防部和新加坡武装部队长期战略的一部分，旨在打造其空军未来的战斗机机队。

未来的这支机队将由 F-35A、F-35B 和 F-15SG 等多种机型组成，以满足新加坡的作战需求，并保持一支强大、有能力的战斗机部队来保卫其领空。

过去一年，新加坡还宣布采购了四架波音公司制造的新型 P-8A 海上巡逻机（预计将于 2030 年代初投入使用）和三架新型湾流 G550 海上监视飞机。