The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) first Lockheed Martin F-35 jets are scheduled to be delivered from late 2026 onwards, Chief of Air Force Major General Kelvin Fan said in a written media interview on the sidelines of Singapore Airshow 2026.
Lockheed Martin also indicated during a briefing at the event, attended by Asian Military Review, that the first F-35s are expected to be brought home to Tengah Air Base in Singapore’s west from 2029.
Singapore has eight F-35A conventional take-off and landing and twelve F-35B short take-off and vertical landing fighters on order, with initial deliveries comprising the STOVL aircraft ordered in 2020.
“The training for our initial batch of F-35 pilots will subsequently begin at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (ANGB), where they will be trained by qualified US Air Force F-35 instructors, and have the opportunity to train alongside and learn from other nations operating the F-35s,” Fan added.
Located in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the ANGB is designated an F-35 Foreign Military Sales pilot training centre. Singapore will also relocate its Peace Carvin II F-16 training detachment from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, with the move expected by the summer of 2027. Construction of infrastructure for the RSAF training centre at Ebbing, on a dedicated part of the base, is set to commence soon.
Responding to AMR’s query on Lockheed Martin’s projected arrival of the RSAF’s first F-35s at Tengah from 2029, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said “the local delivery timeline and basing of the RSAF’s F-35 fighter aircraft will be guided by the overall project schedule and training requirements”.
“As planning and production is still ongoing, these details have not been finalised. MINDEF will share further information at an appropriate juncture once the details are firmed up,” the statement continued.
Tengah is undergoing a westward expansion that will include a second runway, aircraft shelters and additional base facilities. Operating the F-35 requires specialised hangars and secure support infrastructure, which are expected to be established as part of the expansion works.
Ongoing F-35 deliveries back to Singapore are anticipated to span more than a decade. The F-16s they will replace are set to remain in service into the mid-2030s, Fan said, and midlife upgrades of these aircraft are still under way.
Additional F-35s beyond the 20 A/Bs on order could also be procured, with the RSAF’s future fighter fleet comprising F-35As, F-35Bs and the current F-15SGs.
by David Oliver
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