>SINGAPORE has shown interest in possibly buying up to 100 of the stealthy, multi-role F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft over coming decades, said the general in charge of the programme for the Pentagon.

Said Air Force Major-General Charles Davis, the Pentagon's programme chief: "The Israelis have said they'd take up to 100 aircraft. The Singaporeans have said basically the same thing."

Embassy spokesmen for the two countries had no immediate comment.

The world's most advanced fighter jet, the supersonic F-35 is designed to attack moving targets in any environment. It uses stealth technology to prevent detection by radar or infrared sensors.

Development of the super- fighter was co-financed by Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway.

Singapore, as a security cooperation participant of the multinational programme, has access to proprietary information, including flight simulations.

Israel is currently the only nation involved at this level, one rung down from the nine JSF programme partners.

Singapore's Ministry of Defence, in a previous comment on the F-35 JSF, said the plane was "a potential candidate" to meet the air force's "longer-term requirements for a multi-role fighter".

The United States currently plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35 models. Hundreds of others may be sold overseas to replace a range of fighters, including Lockheed Martin F-16s and Boeing F-18s.

It is the costliest US arms programme ever at a projected US$299 billion (S$407 billion).

The conventional version is projected to cost about US$68 million apiece. -- AGENCIES

 

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20080709-75496.html

LOL, that means they are going to replace the entire RSAF fighter fleet with F35s.

Damn it a very risky idea 2 operate only 1 type of aircraft & e JSF is not particularly long-range

I saw on e net tat e S/VTOL version has no gun, can any 1 confirm?

saw it on today's news.... Singapore had appear to have interests to invest 100 of F35s. It's the latest technology. I bet it cost a bomb.... singapore so small want security as good as those big country! wah! But also good la..

6.8 billion on them? wtf la, ask them give more $ to mediacock to enable them to buy epl broadcasting rights la cb...

Originally posted by jonchao72:

6.8 billion on them? wtf la, ask them give more $ to mediacock to enable them to buy epl broadcasting rights la cb...

how can defence spending be related to EPL?

it'll be funny.. will it be a direct replacement for all our present fighters including our new strike eagles or are they expanding the airforce and the fighter squadrons.

Originally posted by jonchao72:

6.8 billion on them? wtf la, ask them give more $ to mediacock to enable them to buy epl broadcasting rights la cb...

 Pls lah since when does RSAF ever operate just single type of craft.

 

Just add up all the F5 plus maybe some older version of F16. maybe you get close to the number.

the only time when the RSAF operate one fighter is the Hunter!! during the SADC time....

 

and then:

Hunter

A4

 

post 1979

Hunter

A4

F5

 

Post 1988 (4 types!)

Hunter

A4

F5

F16

 

around late 90s??

A4

F5

F16

 

Present

A4 (training only)

F5

F16

 

Current orbat... from open sources:

F16 - about 60??

F5 about 49??

A4 about 10?

 

Total 119

 

After 2010??

F16 - about 60

F5 - about 49

F15 - 24

 

Total 130 a/c...

 

 

I think when the F-35 come on-line, some of the earlier F16 will probably be retired. maybe only the newer 145 SQN F16D+ with the CFT will remain.

 

F16D+ - about 20

F15 - 24

F-35 - 100

 

total 144 a/c... about the same as the 2010 total.

 

 

Almost all major platforms in SAF(land,air and sea) served at about

30 years before retired.

So,i dunt think F5(after almost total tranformation ,so called upgrading)

and F16 after upgrading will be retired so early.

I think F35 would be considered only after new F15 in services for at least

10 to 15 years.Life cycle of new F15 may be shorter to say 20 years?

 

Technology changes so fast.No point to commit to F35 so early.

Spore will fully ulitize money invested in F15,

before buying better platforms.

We are not a country keen on

---newer

---bigger

---latest

---most powerful

---furtherer.

We just want the right stuff.

Besides machine,we also need right men to man the machines.

The utmost important is maintenance.---that is 3 M,remember.

No point to have the best machines in the world but

most of the time the platforms is inside the workshops

or shipyards for upgrading,if not retifications

or fixing the problems of poor design or poor

workmanship or both.

 

Its actually consider quite affordable @ 68 million each, current 4th gen fighters cost around this price

F5S may be retired in 2010 --2015

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/1998/jan/07jan98_nr.html.print.html?Status=1

RSAF F-5S Achieves Initial Operating Capability Status

Posted: 07 Jan 1998,

When F5E entered services in 1979,it was alreday 20 years old!!

So,is it in the same class of F16 A/B,after upgrading?

They entered service in 1979 and since then have been serving their roles as air defence interceptors. It was in Dec 1989 that an upgrade of the F-5E, renamed F-5S was approved. 

The upgrade was necessary as the avionics in the aircraft was about 30 years old and was considered essential in order to meet the RSAF's future operational needs. The contract was awarded to Singapore Technologies Aerospace (STAe) in Jul 91.

Work began in 1992 and the first prototype flight testing started in 1994. The upgrade included improvements in radar capabilities; weapons delivery and navigation systems; and cockpit layout. The upgrade has put the F-5S in the same class as modern day fighter aircraft and has extended the useful life of the F-5 by another 10 to 15 years. The F-5 squadrons are now striving towards achieving Final Operational Capability in about a year's time.

Hi,

 

I think it is possible that the F16A/B that we gifted to RTAF is more capable then the upgraded F5S.

 

The F5 upgrade is on the radar and avionics.... there is no engine or airframe upgrade. It is likely to be quite old in terms of airframe hours and is still powered by an underpowered J85 engine....

 

However, we have >40 of them....and replacing them at one go would be difficult.

 

we only have 7 F16A/B and have a much larger number of F16C/D. It makes sense to get rid of the A/B to standardize our F16 fleet... the RTAF have F16A/B which means they can be standize too...

 

actually 20 years ago, we bought the 4x F16A and 4x F16B...at that time, it was a 'breakthrough' to be operating such advanced jet....

 

who would expect in 2008 that the RSAF annouce that we are operating F15!!! which is supposed sooo expensive with 2x F100 engine each consuming twice the amount of aviation fuel as the F16!

 

I think by the time the squadron pilots flying the F35 are probably still in primary school, we will surely be one of the last buyers of F35!

 

Originally posted by Bionic Animals:

LOL, that means they are going to replace the entire RSAF fighter fleet with F35s.

we should be seening F-15 + F-35 operating together.

 

100 f-35 is just a figure - we would not be seeing all of them together. More of like our f-16A, F-16C/D & F-16 block 52+ ....

We would see some eariler model or delivered F-35 phased out with some new model f-35  .... thus we would have about 60-80 operation only at one time which replace f-16 & F5E .

F-5 old le... came in 1979 for e 1st batch of 21 till now

 

Originally posted by lionnoisy:

Almost all major platforms in SAF(land,air and sea) served at about

30 years before retired.

So,i dunt think F5(after almost total tranformation ,so called upgrading)

and F16 after upgrading will be retired so early.

I think F35 would be considered only after new F15 in services for at least

10 to 15 years.Life cycle of new F15 may be shorter to say 20 years?

 

Technology changes so fast.No point to commit to F35 so early.

Spore will fully ulitize money invested in F15,

before buying better platforms.

We are not a country keen on

---newer

---bigger

---latest

---most powerful

---furtherer.

We just want the right stuff.

Besides machine,we also need right men to man the machines.

The utmost important is maintenance.---that is 3 M,remember.

No point to have the best machines in the world but

most of the time the platforms is inside the workshops

or shipyards for upgrading,if not retifications

or fixing the problems of poor design or poor

workmanship or both.

 

Lionnoisy, plane have lifespan, it depend on usage and hour in the air. Even though we upgrade some of them, but that will only extent the life for that long. If we keep it flying with older engines , will only burn more money in fuel.

 

F-35 is being consider now, and not later.

 

You say technology change so fast , no point in commiting so early .... ? Which day technology does not change, you can keep waiting for tomorrow as tomorrow alway something new. As there is queue for production & delivery, thus sometime we have to just go for it. Frankly Rafale, Eurofighter, Su-35, gripen are all around and we already know their capabilities and their planned capabilities. By now with the f-35 in the late stage with even test flight done, we too would have access to its capabilities .... thus it is a good time for us to decide.

 

We have invested in F-15 , but it is time also to source for suitable replacement for our F-16 & f-5E, which F-15 is not suitable as replacement.

Shh...Our neighbours are alerted and listening. They are deriding that Singapore cannot afford to buy 100 F-35s @ $68 million a piece. Let's see what our neighbours will propose to buy to challenge the F-35s.

Ya u right RASF is unlikely 2 operate only 1 aircraft type.I forsee a 3rd batch of maybe 6-12 F-15SG. 100 F-35 + 30 F-15SG + (maybe)20 TA-50 tat a total of 150 combat aircraft hoho

But like storywolf said when e times come we might not operate 100, so many things can & r happening till 2030 @ e earliest when e JSF enter production

Originally posted by Bionic Animals:

LOL, that means they are going to replace the entire RSAF fighter fleet with F35s.

This is impossible. RSAF buys planes according to its needs. The F-35 by itself cannot satisfy all the needs of the RSAF (interceptor, strike, fighter etc). There is no such plane that can do everything. If you want to know more or less what RSAF will have in its fleet, just keep watch on the Israeli Air Force. Our fleet is never that much different from them. 

The one good thing abt the F-35 is its stealth tech. The Sukhois would be at kind of a disadvantage agst them. However, it all still depends on the pilots though.

Originally posted by bloodsucker:

This is impossible. RSAF buys planes according to its needs. The F-35 by itself cannot satisfy all the needs of the RSAF (interceptor, strike, fighter etc). There is no such plane that can do everything. If you want to know more or less what RSAF will have in its fleet, just keep watch on the Israeli Air Force. Our fleet is never that much different from them. 

The one good thing abt the F-35 is its stealth tech. The Sukhois would be at kind of a disadvantage agst them. However, it all still depends on the pilots though.

Name me 1 mission the F-16 cannot do? 

It even has a nuclear-release consent switch. =D

i think this article is more political in nature of competing orders from F-22. There are politician and plane manufacturing trying to secure the future of these planes.