{"id":157418,"date":"2026-09-12T17:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T11:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=157418"},"modified":"2026-09-12T16:43:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T11:13:26","slug":"pentagon-reveals-singapore-will-keep-most-f-35s-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/12\/pentagon-reveals-singapore-will-keep-most-f-35s-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Reveals Singapore Will Keep Most F-35s in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SINGAPORE-<\/strong> Singapore is acquiring 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II<\/a> fifth-generation fighters, with 12 F-35Bs to be permanently based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas and 8 F-35As planned for Tengah Air Base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrangement means most of Singapore\u2019s F-35 fleet will initially remain in the United States rather than being stationed at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Modernized Selected Acquisition Report (MSAR), cleared for public release on August 3, 2026, puts the programme value at US$4.059 billion and provides new details on delivery and basing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pentagon
Photo: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singapore Splits 20 F-35 Fleet Between US and Home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Singapore has spent years evaluating the F-35 as the next-generation replacement for its aging F-16 fleet. The procurement began with the F-35B and later expanded to include the conventional F-35A, giving the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)<\/a> a mixed fifth-generation fighter fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March 2019, Singapore announced plans to acquire an initial 4 F-35Bs, with an option for 8 additional aircraft. After further evaluation and US approval, Singapore signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for 12 F-35B Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) fighters on March 20, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore then expanded the programme. In February 2024, the Ministry of Defence announced the purchase of 8 F-35As, bringing the planned fleet to 20 aircraft. Singapore subsequently signed an amendment to the F-35 agreement on February 4, 2025, covering the 8 F-35As.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest US report provides the first publicly disclosed total programme value of US$4.059 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figure should not be divided by 20 to calculate the aircraft unit price because the acquisition value includes broader programme costs, including aircraft, engines, training, logistics and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo: USAF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Singapore Chose 2 F-35 Variants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s decision to operate both the F-35A and F-35B reflects different operational requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35B uses STOVL technology. It can conduct a short take-off and vertical landing, making it particularly useful for a geographically constrained country. Singapore’s Defence Minister has highlighted the importance of the aircraft’s shorter-runway capability for a land-scarce state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35A uses conventional take-off and landing. It has greater internal fuel capacity, giving it greater endurance than the F-35B, while also providing greater payload capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distinction matters because Singapore is not simply seeking more aircraft. It is building a force in which the F-35B provides operational flexibility and resilience while the F-35A provides greater range, endurance and payload for missions requiring those characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35B offers an important feature for Singapore: it does not require the same conventional runway infrastructure as the F-35A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The STOVL design allows an F-35B to operate from shorter runways and conduct vertical landings. Singapore selected the variant after evaluating its suitability for the country’s constrained geography. In 2020, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen specifically described the ability to take off from a shorter runway and land vertically as important for a land-scarce Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This capability can also support operational resilience. Reducing reliance on long conventional runways can provide more flexibility if major airfield infrastructure is damaged or disrupted. The F-35B therefore fits Singapore’s broader emphasis on maintaining credible combat capability despite its limited physical space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two variants also give the RSAF a diversified fleet. Singapore’s Ministry of Defence has said its future fighter force is intended to comprise F-35As, F-35Bs and F-15SGs, with F-16s progressively drawn down from the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"F-35A\"
Photo: Airman 1st Class Alexander Cook, WIkimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singapore Becomes Unusual F-35 Operator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Singapore is among the small group of countries that has selected both the F-35A and F-35B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States, Italy and Japan have also selected both variants, making Singapore’s mixed-fleet decision relatively uncommon among international F-35 operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Singapore, however, the combination has a direct operational purpose. The F-35A’s conventional design supports range, endurance and payload requirements, while the F-35B’s STOVL capability provides flexibility for a state where land and runway infrastructure are constrained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo: USAF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All 12 F-35Bs Will Be Based in Arkansas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most significant detail in the newly released US report is the permanent basing arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 12 Singaporean F-35Bs are planned to be permanently based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The first 4 aircraft are scheduled to arrive during the fourth quarter of US fiscal year 2026, while the remaining 8 are expected around 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebbing has become a major training center for international F-35 operators. Its role allows foreign F-35 users to train within a broader US and multinational environment rather than relying exclusively on the more limited training conditions available in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore already has extensive experience maintaining overseas fighter detachments for training. Its defence relationship with the United States includes long-standing fighter training arrangements, including deployments involving F-15SGs, F-16s and supporting aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ebbing arrangement builds on that established approach while tying Singapore’s F-35B fleet directly into the international F-35 training system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Italy
Photo: Italy Air Force<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Larger F-35 Training Environment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Basing the F-35Bs in Arkansas gives Singapore access to a training environment that is difficult to reproduce on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States can provide larger and less geographically constrained training areas, established F-35 infrastructure and access to experienced personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebbing also supports training for other international F-35 customers, creating opportunities for multinational activities and common operating procedures. The expansion of the Ebbing F-35 Pilot Training Center is a continuing US infrastructure project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Singapore, the benefit extends beyond pilot flying hours. Fifth-generation operations depend on complex mission planning, data management, maintenance, logistics and networked employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training with US personnel and other F-35 operators can help Singapore develop procedures that remain compatible with the wider F-35 ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s experience at multinational exercises also shows the importance it places on overseas training. In 2026, the RSAF deployed F-15SG and F-16 fighters to Red Flag-Alaska and participated in Exercise Pitch Black in Australia, demonstrating its established model of using overseas training locations to build combat readiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo: By Ahunt – Own work, Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=11321819<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eight F-35As Will Stay at Tengah Air Base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the F-35Bs remain in the United States, all 8 F-35As are planned to be permanently based at Tengah Air Base in Singapore. The US report identifies the first aircraft arrival for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2029 and states that the Main Operating Base at Tengah is being developed to support the aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s Defence Ministry previously said the F-35As were expected to arrive around 2030. The newer US report provides a more specific fiscal-year schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tengah facility will require infrastructure suited to fifth-generation fighter operations. That includes specialized aircraft facilities, secure support areas and other infrastructure necessary to sustain the F-35A fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once operational, the 8 F-35As will give Singapore a locally based stealth-fighter capability. They will also provide the RSAF with the longer-range and higher-payload characteristics that distinguish the conventional F-35A from the STOVL F-35B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"General
Photo: USAF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s F-35 Plan Supports F-16 Replacement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The F-35 acquisition forms part of a broader transition in the RSAF’s fighter fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s Ministry of Defence has stated that its F-16 fleet will progressively draw down from the mid-2030s after the aircraft reach obsolescence. The F-35s are therefore intended to become a central component of the future fighter force alongside the F-15SG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in 2024 that the F-35s would place the RSAF in the “premier league” once the aircraft became operational. He also said Singapore’s evaluation of the F-35 programme had begun in 2004, showing that the acquisition resulted from a long assessment rather than a rapid procurement decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s F-35 procurement is therefore part of a longer modernization cycle designed to preserve advanced air-combat capabilities as older F-16s leave service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II; Photo- Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s Security Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s defense strategy reflects the country’s unique geographic and economic circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city-state is small and lacks the strategic depth available to larger countries. Its economy is also highly dependent on a stable regional environment and secure lines of communication. Singapore’s Ministry of Defence describes its defense policy as resting on the twin pillars of deterrence and diplomacy, with strong defense intended to protect sovereignty and maintain the country’s ability to act independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach helps explain the emphasis on advanced technology, readiness and interoperability rather than numerical mass alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Singapore maintains security and defense relationships across Southeast Asia and is not a claimant in the South China Sea, but it remains concerned about the wider Indo-Pacific security environment. Ng Eng Hen warned in 2024 that the risk of regional and even global conflict over the following decade had become “non-zero.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-35 acquisition fits that broader effort to maintain a technologically advanced deterrent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo : \tJapan Air Self-Defense Force | Wikimedia Commons | https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:JASDF_equipment_F-35A_(5).jpg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Split Fleet Creates Both Advantages and Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Arkansas-Singapore split offers clear benefits, but it also creates an operational trade-off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main advantage is specialization. The United States-based F-35Bs can support continuous training and force development in a large F-35 ecosystem, while the eight F-35As based at Tengah can provide a permanent local fifth-generation combat capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrangement also distributes Singapore’s F-35 infrastructure across two countries. The aircraft are not all concentrated at a single Singaporean operating base, while the F-35B training force benefits from established U.S. facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, only eight of the 20 aircraft will be locally based. In a rapidly developing regional crisis, the 12 F-35Bs in Arkansas would not be immediately available in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving those aircraft from the United States would require more than simply flying the fighters east. A large-scale deployment would involve diplomatic clearances, aerial refueling, route coordination, support personnel, maintenance and logistics arrangements. These requirements could affect how quickly the aircraft could contribute to an unexpected contingency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The geographical separation therefore improves training access while reducing the number of F-35s immediately available from Singapore itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lockheed
Photo: USAF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US Basing Decision Also Deepens Interoperability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The dependence created by the Arkansas arrangement is not entirely new. Singapore already operates several major US-origin defense systems, including the F-15SG, AH-64D Apache, CH-47 Chinook, C-130 Hercules and G550 Airborne Early Warning aircraft. The RSAF also regularly trains with US forces and other international partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2026, the United States also approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Singapore involving up to four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and related equipment, including Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed package was valued at about US$2.316 billion. The P-8A is intended to strengthen Singapore’s maritime surveillance capabilities alongside other assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growing U.S.-Singapore defense relationship makes the F-35B presence at Ebbing part of a wider pattern rather than an isolated arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lockheed
Photo: Lockheed Martin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What US$4.059 Billion Actually Covers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The disclosure of the US$4.059 billion programme value is significant because Singapore had not previously published the overall contract value for its 20 F-35s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figure covers the broader acquisition programme rather than simply the cost of 20 fighter airframes. It includes aircraft and associated components such as engines, training, logistics and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The original 12-F-35B agreement was itself structured as a wider Foreign Military Sales package rather than a simple aircraft purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, calculating a per-aircraft price by dividing US$4.059 billion by 20 would produce a misleading figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disclosure is nevertheless important because it establishes the overall scale of Singapore’s F-35 commitment and provides a clearer picture of the resources devoted to building the country’s fifth-generation fighter capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"F-35B
Photo: F-35 Lightning II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trade-Off for Small Air Force<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Eurasian Times<\/a>, Singapore’s decision does not mean the country is abandoning the operational advantages of the F-35B. Instead, it is separating the fleet according to the roles and locations that offer different benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 12 F-35Bs at Ebbing will form the overseas training and force-development component, while the 8 F-35As at Tengah will provide the locally based conventional F-35 force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That structure comes with a clear trade-off. Singapore gains access to a mature U.S.-based F-35 training environment and deepens interoperability with American and other international operators, but it will have fewer F-35s immediately available inside Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a small state whose defense policy places strong emphasis on deterrence, technology, readiness and interoperability, the arrangement represents a deliberate balance between overseas training capacity and local combat capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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