Singapore F-35 selection

Program progress, politics, orders, and speculation
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by weasel1962 » 12 Mar 2013, 02:01

Local newspapers are quoting interview with Singapore defence minister stating that the country is in the final stages of deciding whether to procure the F-35. Most analysts generally believe it is just a question of timing. Like Korea, Singapore has the option to procure the F-15SG/SE and was expected to be influenced by Korean selection decision. LM was also actively marketing the F-35B to Singapore due to short take-off requirements but the A variant is considered favourite. The Republic of Singapore air force operates a sqn of F-15SGs, 3 sqns of F-16C/D Blk 50+ and is overdue to replace its remaining F-5 Tigers. The F-5s which entered service in 1979 were upgraded in 1996-99 to provide an intended 10 more years of service. The country which has a ~US$10b defense budget does not generally face significant political opposition to military acquisitions.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNe ... 07879.html


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by weasel1962 » 12 Mar 2013, 08:39

Flight has more details...

Singapore is close to completing its evaluation of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which it sees as a possible fit for its future requirements.

"Though the F-35 aircraft is still in development, we are nonetheless interested in the platform for our future needs," defence minister Ng Eng Hen said in a speech to parliament on 11 March.

[...] "For the longer term, the Republic of Singapore Air Force has identified the F-35 as a suitable aircraft to further modernise our fighter fleet," he added. "We are now in the final stages of evaluating the F-35." [...]

Singapore is a security cooperation participant in the F-35 programme, which provides access to programme data and allows it to request special studies.

Ng gave no sense about whether Singapore will hold a tender for new fighters, the number of new aircraft that will be obtained, or the timeframe for a new aircraft acquisition.

One alternative to the F-35 could be additional Boeing F-15SG aircraft, of which Singapore operates 24. Another alternative could be an F-15 variant based on the F-15 Silent Eagle that Boeing has proposed in South Korea's F-X III competition.

Full article: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... nt-383321/


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by spazsinbad » 12 Mar 2013, 09:30

Dupe post from deleted simultaneous thread:...

Singapore in 'final stages' of evaluating F-35
12 Mar 2013 AFP

Singapore is in the final stages of evaluating the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a possible replacement for its F-15 and F-16 planes, the defence minister said in remarks published Tuesday....

[...] "Though the F-35 is still in development, we are nonetheless interested in the platform for our future needs," Ng said during a debate on the national budget.

A recording of his remarks was posted Tuesday on a government website.

"The F-35 will be the vanguard of next-generation fighter aircraft in operation," he added.

Ng said Singapore's Boeing F-15 fighters "are nearing the end of their operational life" and its Lockheed Martin F-16s are at their mid-life mark.

"For the longer term, the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) has identified the F-35 as a suitable aircraft to further modernise our fighter fleet. We are now in the final stages of evaluating the F-35," he said. [...]

Singapore's defence ministry "will have to be satisfied that this state-of-art multi-role fighter meets our long-term needs, is on track to be operationally capable, and most importantly, is a cost-effective platform," Ng said."

[...]

Source: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNe ... 08014.html


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by popcorn » 12 Mar 2013, 09:47

SPOILER ALERT:

Any Singapore procurement process will be free of government drama and media hysterics... rather boring, come to think of it. :) :)


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by popcorn » 14 Mar 2013, 12:31

I've seen references to 2014 as the year when the RSAF will start retiring it's F-5 fleet. Maybe the JPO will get lucky and the RSAF will decide on the F-35 sooner rather than later.


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by maus92 » 14 Mar 2013, 13:57

Their F-5s are ready to retire, and their F-16s are at mid-life. If they go with F-35, it will probably be a split buy of A/Bs. They will retain their F-15s for air superiority.


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by quicksilver » 14 Mar 2013, 14:52

maus92 wrote:Their F-5s are ready to retire, and their F-16s are at mid-life. If they go with F-35, it will probably be a split buy of A/Bs. They will retain their F-15s for air superiority.
'F-15 air superiority' with F-35s doing...?

Well, the Eagle is a better option for defense than Oz (and the Navy) has with Super Hornets.


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by spazsinbad » 14 Mar 2013, 16:05

Singapore expected to order F-35 fighter jets soon - sources
14 Mar 2013 By John O'Callaghan

Singapore is in the "final stages of evaluating" the F-35 to upgrade its air force, a process U.S. sources say should turn quickly into orders for several dozen of the stealthy warplanes that have been beset by cost overruns and delivery delays.

Singapore, a major business and shipping hub with the best-equipped military in Southeast Asia, is expected to submit a "letter of request" soon for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, said two U.S. government officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. [...]

Singapore became a minor partner in the programme in 2003, along with Israel, which has ordered 19 of the jets so far.

Singapore's F-35 order is expected to include the Marine Corps' B-model, which can take off from shorter runways and lands like a helicopter, said a source familiar with that variation of the plane.

Due to the city-state's small size and limited air space, its air force trains its fighter pilots in the United States and its helicopter pilots in Australia. [... ]

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/1 ... =worldNews


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by spazsinbad » 26 Mar 2013, 01:43

Singapore Poised To Announce Purchase Of 12 F-35Bs
By Colin Clark 25 March 2013

Singapore is expected to announce sometime in the next 10 days that it plans to buy its first squadron --12 planes -- of some 75 of Lockheed Martin's F-35Bs, further bolstering what had been the flagging fortunes of the world's most expensive conventional weapon system.

The fact that American allies in the Pacific are the ones committing to the controversial and over-budget aircraft is telling. [...]

But the underlying reason for the choice of Singapore and the other Pacific countries may be found in the conclusion of these countries about the F-35's effectiveness. One senior official from the region, who has access to the most sensitive classified information about the system, told me recently that the F-35 is "simply undefeatable." And this official said the aircraft is expected to maintain its dominance for at least one quarter of a century.

If you link the F-35s from Singapore, Japan and Australia with the US planes that will be stationed throughout the Pacific at Air Force bases, on aircraft carriers and on the Gator navy's ships, then the US and allied presence will loom large in an arc from Alaska west and south to the bottom of the South China Sea and then back down to Australia and across to Hawaii. [...]

Source: http://defense.aol.com/2013/03/25/singa ... 12-f-35bs/



Japanese Build/Repair Facility mentioned also in the article.


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by popcorn » 26 Mar 2013, 07:12

The decision may be forthcoming a lot,sooner than many expected. And the much-maligned STOVL jet appears to be the winner.

Singapore Poised To Announce Purchase Of 12 F-35Bs

Singapore is expected to announce sometime in the next 10 days that it plans to buy its first squadron --12 planes -- of some 75 of Lockheed Martin's F-35Bs, further bolstering what had been the flagging fortunes of the world's most expensive conventional weapon system... Given Singapore's tiny size its choice of which of the three F-35 versions to buy is not surprising. A plane that can take off almost vertically and can land vertically is able to operate from a much smaller footprint than, say the F-35A (the Air Force version) or F-16 Block 60s... But the underlying reason for the choice of Singapore and the other Pacific countries may be found in the conclusion of these countries about the F-35's effectiveness. One senior official from the region, who has access to the most sensitive classified information about the system, told me recently that the F-35 is "simply undefeatable." And this official said the aircraft is expected to maintain its dominance for at least one quarter of a century.

Source: http://defense.aol.com/2013/03/25/singa ... 12-f-35bs/


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by spazsinbad » 26 Mar 2013, 09:02

Singapore Poised To Announce Purchase Of 12 F-35Bs
By Colin Clark 25 March 2013 [Repeated here from there]

"WASHINGTON: Singapore is expected to announce sometime in the next 10 days that it plans to buy its first squadron --12 planes -- of some 75 of Lockheed Martin's F-35Bs, further bolstering what had been the flagging fortunes of the world's most expensive conventional weapon system...."

Source: http://defense.aol.com/2013/03/25/singa ... 12-f-35bs/


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by spazsinbad » 26 Mar 2013, 09:12

Last paragraphs only below...

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Singapore’s Next-Generation Fighter? – Analysis By RSIS -- (March 26, 2013) By Kelvin Wong

"...JSF as a long-term option
However, there is nevertheless still a strong case for the JSF as Singapore’s next-generation fighter in a future acquisition programme. The fact remains that the JSF is the only (and probably last) fifth-generation western combat aircraft currently being developed. In addition to its much-touted stealth characteristics and sensor capabilities, this cutting-edge quality offers more room for further upgrades in contrast to the already mature F-15 design conceived in the 1960s.

This is unless Singapore is willing to consider Chinese or Russian fifth-generation options – a distinctly remote, if not altogether impossible prospect when considering Singapore’s traditional preference for established US or western-made equipment – or even turn to unmanned combat platforms when those technologies mature. Given the circumstances, the JSF seems like the only viable option for maintaining the RSAF’s role in Singapore’s defence in the long-term.

Kelvin Wong is a Programme Manager (Military Studies Programme) at the SAF-NTU Academy (SNA). The views expressed are his own."

Source: http://www.eurasiareview.com/26032013-f ... -analysis/


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by lookieloo » 26 Mar 2013, 09:18

spazsinbad wrote:Singapore Poised To Announce Purchase Of 12 F-35Bs By Colin Clark 25 March 2013

"WASHINGTON: Singapore is expected to announce sometime in the next 10 days that it plans to buy its first squadron --12 planes -- of some 75 of Lockheed Martin's F-35Bs, further bolstering what had been the flagging fortunes of the world's most expensive conventional weapon system.

The fact that American allies in the Pacific are the ones committing to the controversial and over-budget aircraft is telling....

...But the underlying reason for the choice of Singapore and the other Pacific countries may be found in the conclusion of these countries about the F-35's effectiveness. One senior official from the region, who has access to the most sensitive classified information about the system, told me recently that the F-35 is "simply undefeatable." And this official said the aircraft is expected to maintain its dominance for at least one quarter of a century.

If you link the F-35s from Singapore, Japan and Australia with the US planes that will be stationed throughout the Pacific at Air Force bases, on aircraft carriers and on the Gator navy's ships, then the US and allied presence will loom large in an arc from Alaska west and south to the bottom of the South China Sea and then back down to Australia and across to Hawaii....

Japanese Build/Repair Facility mentioned also in the article.

Source: http://defense.aol.com/2013/03/25/singa ... 12-f-35bs/

Who is this guy and what did he do with Colin Clark?


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by Conan » 26 Mar 2013, 09:55

maus92 wrote:Their F-5s are ready to retire, and their F-16s are at mid-life. If they go with F-35, it will probably be a split buy of A/Bs. They will retain their F-15s for air superiority.


They've only got 24x of them, so I think the F-16's and F-35's might just end up doing a bit of air superiority, OCA and DCA too.

Their F-15's are fairly handy mud movers too I believe. I don't think they'll drop that role, just because F-35's are coming...


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by popcorn » 26 Mar 2013, 10:56

Thanks..


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