Singapore is set to receive its first four F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) jets before the end of 2026.
With the acquisition, Singapore will become the first country in the world, apart from the US, to operate the F-35B fighters from land bases rather than aircraft carriers.
Singapore, with a total land area of just 280 square miles, has limited space for traditional air base infrastructure. This makes the F-35B’s capability highly valuable, enabling it to operate from highways, austere forward sites, or compact concrete pads.
While Singapore has no major disputes with any other country, it may be concerned by Beijing’s growing buildup in the South China Sea. Military experts suggest that Singapore’s F-35B procurement is partly, if not entirely, based on a potential Chinese threat.
Evaluations of the F-35 started in Singapore in the early 2010s. After almost a decade, it finally approved the purchase of four F-35Bs under a $2.75 billion deal signed in 2019, with an option for eight more, as a replacement for the ageing F-16 fleet. The option was exercised in 2023, resulting in a total of 12 F-35Bs.
However, by February 2024, the country decided it needed more of those fifth-generation stealth jets and placed an additional order for eight F-35A variants, bringing the total F-35 fleet to 20.
Singapore’s Defence Minister, Dr Ng Eng Hen, noted earlier that the F-35’s ability to operate away from potentially highly vulnerable airbase infrastructure is “an important feature in land-scarce Singapore.”
The small land area of the country makes the F-35B’s capability to disperse to suitably reinforced roadways or even smaller concrete pads very significant, as previously explained by the EurAsian Times.
Small Country, Big Air Force
With a population of about 6 million and a land area of about 728 square kilometres, Singapore is one of the world’s smallest nations. In fact, it is a city-state.
Despite this, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) maintains a modern, high-tech fleet, often ranked as the most advanced in Southeast Asia.
The United Kingdom’s 1968 announcement that it was withdrawing all its forces from the region by March 1971 forced Singapore to quickly assume the crucial role of air defence from the Royal Air Force (RAF). At the time, the country had no local operational auxiliary or volunteer air force components, as air force operations required highly specialised personnel.
“The most urgent need then was to create a nucleus of trained pilots, controllers, technical personnel, and weapon operators who subsequently went on to build up the earlier Singapore Air Defence Command that was stood up on 1 September 1968,” states the official RSAF website.
“From our humble beginnings, generations of committed and determined airmen and women worked tirelessly over the past five decades to establish the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) – undertaking the critical mission of keeping Singapore’s skies safe, and defending our home and interests, the website emphasises. “Today, the RSAF is one of the most advanced and capable air forces in the region; superior in the air, able to decisively influence the ground and maritime battles, and ready and capable of taking on different types of operations from peace to war.”
The RSAF operates multiple American fighter jets, which also form the backbone of its combat fleet. The service operates about 60 F-16C/D Block 52 multirole fighters for reconnaissance, ground attack, and air-to-air combat.
These aircraft form the backbone of Singapore’s fighter fleet and have been upgraded with advanced avionics, including the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 radar, improved identification friend-or-foe systems, and Link 16 data links as part of the Viper Block 70/72 modernisation program.
The acquisition of the F-16 took place in 1985 under the Peace Carvin I program. At the time, Singapore ordered eight F-16A/B aircraft to replace ageing Hawker Hunters.
The deliveries started in 1988, and were supplemented by an additional 18 jets under the Peace Carvin II in the 1990s. Later, the RSAF ordered more aircraft under the subsequent Peace Carvin III and IV, which brought advanced Block 52 variants equipped with conformal fuel tanks and precision-guided munitions, further enhancing its combat strength.
The RSAF also operates 40 F-15SG—a tailored variant of the F-15E Eagle. The aircraft is optimised for long-range air superiority, precision strikes, and maritime operations.
It has aircraft advanced AESA radars, helmet-mounted displays, and compatibility with a wide array of weapons, including the lethal AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) precision-guided bombs. In fact, two of them sport special RSAF 50th anniversary liveries.
The procurement process started in 2005 with an initial order for 12 aircraft under the Peace Carvin V program, valued at roughly $1 billion, as part of Singapore’s effort to boost its attack capabilities amid regional concerns. The initial deliveries began in 2009 and were later augmented by additional jets. The total F-15 fleet stood at 40 by 2026.
It is worth noting that the F-15SG was selected over competitors such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Rafale due to its proven performance, range, and interoperability with the United States.
In addition to these, the RSAF also operates about 19-20 Boeing AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, equipped for anti-armour, close air support, and escort missions.
These feature the Longbow fire-control radar, Hellfire missiles, Hydra rockets, and a 30mm chain gun, making them highly effective in urban and maritime environments. The RSAF also operates the CH-47 Chinook helicopters for search and rescue, troop transport, and disaster relief, among other things.
To keep vigil in the strategic yet unstable seas around it, Singapore last month obtained authorisation to buy the P-8 Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft in a deal potentially worth $2.3 billion.
And for tactical transport, the RSAF operates the massive C-130H Hercules. In fact, some latest reports suggest that Singapore is looking to revitalise its Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical airlift fleet and retire its sub-fleet of ageing C-130B airframes by acquiring pre-owned C-130H aircraft.
Another aircraft operated by the RSAF is the Gulfstream G550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW), a highly advanced Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) platform that replaced the E-2C Hawkeye.
These platforms offer 360-degree, round-the-clock surveillance with ELTA EL/W-2085 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which can detect and track airborne threats at long range for more than nine hours.
Singapore is not a direct claimant in the South China Sea disputes, unlike Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc., though it advocates for freedom of navigation and a rules-based order due to its heavy reliance on maritime trade through the region.
However, Singapore’s Air Force and, by extension, its entire military, are not the only things that outmatch its small size.
Singapore: Small State, Big Influence
The Henley Passport Index, which ranks passports quarterly, ranked the Singapore passport as the world’s most powerful.
The holder of a Singapore passport can travel to 192 countries and territories worldwide without a visa—an impressive number, given that the index tracks 227 territories—most of which are visa-free for Singaporeans.
Notably, the Singapore passport was also in the top spot in the January and July 2025 rankings by Henley & Partners. The Singaporeans had access to 193 destinations as per the July 2025 report, and to 195 countries as per the January 2025 report.
Singapore stands out as one of the world’s most remarkable economic powerhouses. It is a tiny city-state with no natural resources, yet it boasts one of the highest GDP per capita globally, consistently ranks at or near the top in economic competitiveness, ease of doing business, and attracts massive foreign direct investment (FDI).
Positioned at the heart of major global shipping routes, such as the Straits of Malacca, Singapore controls access to a large share of world trade.
This has helped turn the country into the world’s busiest transhipment port and a natural gateway to Southeast Asia and beyond, in turn, fuelling trade, logistics, and maritime activities from the start.
Singapore boasts world-class infrastructure, and its airport—the famous Changi International Airport—was ranked the best in 2025 by the World Airport Awards, which were held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Madrid.
The country also has a top-tier seaport, digital infrastructure, and urban planning that support seamless global operations. It has been widely recognised as a major hub for aviation, finance, and tech in Asia.
Singapore is consistently ranked as the world’s most pro-business, open, and competitive economy, holding the top spot for over a decade in various global surveys, thanks to its stable government, low taxes, and ease of doing business.
It is the premier global hub for starting businesses, offering a 0% corporate tax rate for the first 3 years for eligible start-ups, a highly skilled workforce, and efficient, minimal bureaucracy.
The country is also constantly making strides in technology.
Scientists here will soon launch a small, lightweight “nanosatellite” with AI-powered edge computing, enabling it to assess and prioritise information to be sent back to Earth, such as unobscured photographs.
The satellite will be evaluated over a one-year mission – the first of its kind for Singapore, headed by the Satellite Research Centre (SaRC) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) – to evaluate its electronics performance and overall operational design, according to recent reports.
These elements combined transformed Singapore from a vulnerable post-independence state in 1965 into a resilient, high-income global hub with a world-class military.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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