I though they only bought 4 F35? With 8 more as options
Most Probably because their original f16 (that they already sold to Thailand) already reach end of service live

They themselves said they only start buying f35 in numbers starting in 2030s as f16 replacement.

So 60 F35 in the early 2030 seem a bit far fetched don't you think?

With plan for 4 JMMS i doubt they even get the F35A though. Most likely an all fleet of F35B?

Many f35 purchasers buy an initial small lot before commiting to a bigger purchase. In Sgs case, they do in fact buy in batches - likely a policy decision to make defence purchases palatable to neighbours. Anyway, it works if the goods arrive in the time frame they want. More F35s will be built in the coming years than typhoons + rafales + suks + migs combined. Not a prob for Sg to get say 80 to 100 F35s by early 2030s. Note: they will retire the F16Vs by that period.

My sense is that they will follow Japan i.e. buy a mix of As and Bs. They do not need to test the As - they can get inputs from Israel and Australia. But their only reference point for Bs is the US marines so thats why they bought the 12 f35bs initially.

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 13 2021, 07:02 PM

LoL palating the neighbors konon.
Obviously it's got more to do with the oldest F16 SG has in stock is only 20 years old. That's why they say they would bought more begining by 2030s.

the AF is only buying 18 rn. whatever come after that just possibility.maybe we buy 60, maybe only 18

Also, you didn't know but within malaysia's context, we still need something that's cheap enough to operate but capable enough to not simply be aerial target. Before the AF retire its MiG-29N/NUB fleet, the af big boss said that the cost to fly them stands at around 75 million usd per year. simply for a plane that's used for interception and cap. With FA-50 cost per flying hour being quoted at around 2500/hour, that means we can have them fly all the time while keeping our actual hard hitting assets fresh and ready at moment notice.

Even countries like Taiwan with defence budget much higher than ours are looking for something along the line of FA-50 simply to deal with tongshan shenanigans, with their top of the line Mirage 2000-5 quoted to cost them close to usd30k/hour to fly and it's expensive to intercept plaaf intrusion on regular basis, something we will have do deal with in the future

Get 2 squadrons T-50/FA-50 for cap and air interception, and station one of them in S&s on permanent basis. Get kuwaiti hornet (preferably all of them tho at least complete our hornet fleet to a full strengh squadron) and upgrade them to 25x, sell off the migs to fund these two. Then we worry about which 5th gen fighter we should get

you first asked about heli mah

answer is higher operating costs I think. two engines will always be more expensive than one, and multi-role that can do both missions effectively will usually be more expensive than single-role, especially a single-role cheap aircraft like the M346 or Hawk.

it's a ladder of cost vs effectiveness in the "mud-mover" role: Tucano < Hawk < F-16 < F-15E, for example. how far we want to be on the ladder... depends.

Yer lor.
Seem everyone else is settling on a combo of attack heli & MRCA rather than go for a dedicated LCA.

Attack heli aren't that expensive & there's like a lot of preloved one sitting in storage somewhere

Thats why I wonder.
They are dialing back on a commitment to get more afterwards.

They gone from 3 squadrons to 36 to MAYBE another 18 afterwards.

Which kinda makes it sound like they didn't want it

Im trying to explain to you that they buy stuffs in batches and offered a plausible explanation.

They renew and replace their equipment as needed. They do have the $$$$ 2 do that.

The F35s will be bought in batches and introduced in batches from 2026 onwards. The F16Vs meanwhile will be drawn down in early 2030s. Thats the plan.

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 14 2021, 09:18 AM

RSAF F16 tail numbers start with 6 followed by the serial number XX:








Largest so far ive seen is Sr No. 699.

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 14 2021, 12:59 PM

And money doesn't grow on tree.
They don't really give out universal healthcare didn't they?

And yes. People usually order their new jet 5 years before their current jet are due to retirement.

Thus there won't be 60 f35 by Early 2030s. 60 F35 by end of 2030s sure.

Oh stop being silly. This is 2021. Theyve got many years to make orders so that they can have up to 100 F35s by early 2030s.

See the serial numbers in this pic below. Every RSAF jet is assigned to specfic pilots and their names are engraved near the cockpit.



^ So it is not surprising Sg told the F35 programme office they want up to 100 f35s to replace their F16s. The numbers add up.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lock...744095420080707

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 14 2021, 01:20 PM

And why would they?.

Their F16 still young & the F35 still a turt at this point In time thus haven't enter mass production stage yet. Why would they do the silly thing and ordered the turt version, when the good one is around the corner.

And why would they even want 100 f35 when other country even US are reducing their commited purchase while NGAD is around the corner. Not mentioning the proliferation of loyal wingman type things.

Also geopolitical wise SG are scared of her 2 immediate neighbors & thus why they seek US protection. Changing circumstances create a situation where relationship with her 2 neighbors are more of an interest to US. And US want to fight her number 1 customer. The fallout in HK create a situation of trading with PRC shifting to SG, making SG heavily dependent on PRC trade.

So i say what likely happen is SG to excellerate diversification away from US weaponry.

New pics of Philippine Air Force new T129 ATAK attack helicopter.

The reason is because attack heli can hug trees and terrain, while jet aircraft cannot. Also it may be cheaper to operate one kind of MRCA in 2 roles, air superiority and CAS, rather than 1 jet in each role. So many armies who can afford it, would like to adopt this model.

You can see this in the change in some NATO militaries with the retirement of optimised ground attack aircraft like the Tornado, Jaguar, and Alphajet - the A10 should have followed but Congress decided to be CODBLOPS memers

Again, using LCA is a budget decision. Not "everyone" is abandoning the LCA. South American countries which are quite poor are still going for the LCA concept. Brazil of course stands out in this regard.

As for our purchase plans.... one plausible explanation is that we are downsizing our Air Force. Another is that if TPTB ordered the "wrong" aircraft, then the Air Force would rather have less

I dont know what youre going on abt. Their F16s, upgraded to F16vs, are at the end of their lifespan. And no; many countries buying more f35s 2 like israel and australia. As far as i know, Sg has no mutual defence treaty with anyone!. FPDA is consultative. Not going to bother abt ur other fantasy on trade.

Said the guy who sendiri shiok fantasizing of 100 f35 by Early 2030s and sinkie throwing away f16 after just 20 years of operation.

Literally thinking money do grows on trees 😂


Anyway with AUKUS the Aussie are literally at the front of the line for the NGAD. So i doubt they would bought the F35 for the growlers & super hornet replacement. Everyone else are busy with their 6th gen program.

And yes, SG has no defense treaty with anyone, they think their neighbors are the enemies & refuse US 'instruction' basically milk the US during good times and abandoned them when they needed a favor. With that kind of behavior off course you won't get any allies.

Oh bummer! Now I remember you! Too many crazies here.

Btw, your math fail. By the time the RSAF F16s are retired, many will be reaching 30 years of operation. They bought F16s in batches and delivered* from 1994 to 2004.

Who are the heck are - everyone else are busy with their 6th gen planes. Apart from the US, the rest are struggling to even fund 5th gen planes.

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 14 2021, 06:20 PM

Singapore's defence budget expected to hit $18.57 billion (between USD $13.7 to 14 billion) in 2026

A new report has said that Singapore is expected to spend $18.57 billion on defence by 2026, up from $15.23 billion in 2021.

The spending will be driven by factors as diverse as terrorism threats to sustaining its large overseas military training presence such as those in Australia. 

This represents an expected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.6 per cent, up from its current figure of 2.58 per cent, according to the report published by London-based data analytics and consulting firm GlobalData.

The report also “offers detailed analysis of Singapore defense market with market size forecasts covering the next five years”, and analyzes factors that influence demand for the industry, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.

Located at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula, Singapore is strategically located at a vital maritime chokepoint that is traversed by a significant amount of the world’s seaborne trade.

The prosperous island nation, with a population just short of 6 million people, is highly dependent on the maritime trade which uses its port as a transhipment point, however it has almost no strategic depth to speak of, measuring just under 300 square kilometres in size with its widest point being less than 50 kilometres from one end to the other.  

Key acquisition programs currently being undertaken by the southeast Asian island nation include the Lockheed-Martin F35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, indigenous ST Engineering Land Systems Hunter Next-Generation AFV, and the Invincible-class Submarine (Type 218SG) diesel-electric attack submarines being built by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).

Singapore is also introducing the European MBDA Aster 30 ground-based air defence system into service, integrated into its bespoke integrated Island Air Defence System (IADS). It is also introducing the Boeing CH-47F Chinook and Airbus H225M transport helicopters into service, replacing earlier versions of both types (CH-47D/SD Chinook and AS332M/M-1 Super Pumas) in the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

In addition, Singapore also has other acquisition projects in the pipeline. It will seek new Joint Multi-Mission Ships (JMMS) to complement and/or replace its four Endurance class Landing Platform Docks. This is likely to be a through deck ship, with Singapore having previously said it will require the JMMS to operate more helicopters and possess improved air traffic control capabilities compared to the Endurance-class.

Singapore’s navy is also seeking a new Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV) to replace its six 62m Victory-class missile corvettes. These will be larger vessels than their predecessors, and in addition to being armed with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles, are envisaged to act as motherships to a host of unmanned surface, underwater, and aerial vehicles and able to fulfill a variety of mission sets.

The JMMS and MRCVs are almost certainly to be built in Singapore by local defence contractor ST Engineering Marine Systems although substantial input from foreign contractors to assist in the design of vital subsystems is likely to be required. A recent example are eight Littoral Mission Vessels (LMV) currently being commissioned into the Republic of Singapore Navy, with Saab having a hand in the design of the integrated bridge and mast.

Singapore’s army is also seeking a wheeled 155mm self-propelled howitzer to replace the last towed howitzers in its inventory, and will complement the Primus tracked howitzers, rapid firing self-propelled 120mm mortars and HIMARS guided artillery rockets. Like the two former systems, the new wheeled howitzer will also likely be a homegrown design by ST Engineering’s Land Systems division. 

Other likely acquisitions will be replacements for the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s fleet of ten Lockheed-Martin C-130B/H Hercules transports and nine Fokker 50 light transports and Enforcer 2 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The oldest of the C-130 fleet has gone past six decades in service with the older B models limited to local training missions, although Singapore has not publicised an intention to replace these.

An increasingly complex regional defence picture is also driving many of Singapore’s defence acquisitions, with conventional arms and defence Research and Development (R&D) featuring prominently in its defence budget.

It’s Defence Science and Technology Agency is investing in research in bespoke areas that suit Singapore’s unique environment. This includes emphasis on unmanned systems and reduced crewing requirements, with Singapore being the first customer and assisting in the testing and certification for Automatic Air-to-Air Refuelling in the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), which among other things, reduces the aerial refuelling officers’ cognitive workload. 

It has also worked with Airbus to develop a unique boom control law for the MRTT unique for the Boeing F-15 Eagle, and has developed a command and control information system that uses Artificial Intelligence to assist in determining priority for time-sensitive targets in cluttered urban environment and can determine how best to engage a target to ensure a better success rate with lower risk of civilian casualties.

https://www.australiandefence.com.au/defenc...e-market-growth

Mai's note: Nothing new here. Covid may have slowed the budget growth a bit. But it is clear Sg's defence budget will reach $ USD15 billion by end 2020s. Also, we need to note that Sg doesnt borrow 2 spend. And yet make surpluses or have balanced budgets most of the time so they can sustain the military budget indefinitely.

This post has been edited by Mai189: Dec 14 2021, 07:04 PM

Someone forgot that Singkie ekonomi going to grow 2% annually indefinitely

So said the overproud kepochi shooting Sinki is great when people are talking about m346😂. No one care Pon.

Not to mention bad at math too . Since he think they going to retire the f16 as soon as it's finished being upgrade and not 5 to 10 years down the road.


https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/02/18/...-fly-next-year/

Anyway I doubt you are even a Sinki. Aren't sinki supposed to be smart or something?

.