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Singapore eyeing new Block 60's
June 24, 2003 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
Singapore will soon short-list three candidates in the race for a contract to supply the city-state with a new squadron of fighter jets, Singapore's defence ministry said today.
Singapore has held talks with six aerospace firms on replacing its ageing A-4SU Super Skyhawk fighter jets.
The candidates are:
The contract is for a squadron of 20-24 planes which could fetch a price of between 1 billion and 2 billion US$.
Singapore is stilll evaluating six candidates and it will certainly take more than days for the short list to be announced.
In the French "La Tribune" newspaper a speculative report said that Dassault Aviation was "virtually guaranteed" of being short-listed by Singapore for the upcoming fighter contract.
It's the first time that the Block 60 has been offered to a new customer since the project was launched by the United Arab Emirates in early 2000. Lockheed Martin is developing the Block 60 under a commercial-type contract with the UAE.
The F-16 Block 60 is due to fly this year and the first aircraft will be delivered to the UAE in 2004. The advanced avionics modes will be released in blocks between 2004 and 2007, so Singapore could receive the aircraft any time after 2005. The UAE has chosen the GE F110-GE-132 engine, but Pratt & Whitney is still offering the F100-PW-232 for Singapore and other customers.
The candidates are:
- Lockheed Martin's F-16 C/D block 60;
- Boeing Co's F-18 E/F Super Hornet;
- Boeing Co's F-15E Strike Eagle;
- Russia's Sukhoi's SU30/35;
- German-based Eurofighter's Typhoon;
- Dassault Aviation's Rafale (France).
The contract is for a squadron of 20-24 planes which could fetch a price of between 1 billion and 2 billion US$.
Singapore is stilll evaluating six candidates and it will certainly take more than days for the short list to be announced.
In the French "La Tribune" newspaper a speculative report said that Dassault Aviation was "virtually guaranteed" of being short-listed by Singapore for the upcoming fighter contract.
It's the first time that the Block 60 has been offered to a new customer since the project was launched by the United Arab Emirates in early 2000. Lockheed Martin is developing the Block 60 under a commercial-type contract with the UAE.
The F-16 Block 60 is due to fly this year and the first aircraft will be delivered to the UAE in 2004. The advanced avionics modes will be released in blocks between 2004 and 2007, so Singapore could receive the aircraft any time after 2005. The UAE has chosen the GE F110-GE-132 engine, but Pratt & Whitney is still offering the F100-PW-232 for Singapore and other customers.
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