Singapore's first four next-generation fighter jets, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, will have their initial training and evaluation conducted in the United States, said Major-General Kelvin Khong yesterday.
The Chief of Air Force said the evaluation would not just be on the aircraft's performance, but also on how it can be integrated into the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) warfighting systems.
"We believe it is not sufficient for the platform itself to be capable. It needs to be integrated into the RSAF system so that the effects of its combat power can be multiplied," he added.
In a wide-ranging e-mail interview with local and foreign media that was tied to the Singapore Airshow, Maj-Gen Khong acknowledged concerns over the F-35s, which included design deficiencies and cost overruns.
"We are convinced that the F-35 programme has matured to a stage where confidence in the eventual delivery of a cost-effective fifth-generation fighter is high," he said, adding that most of the issues had been resolved in recent years.
The US government last month gave the green light for the sale of up to a dozen of the stealth fighters and related equipment to Singapore for US$2.75 billion (S$3.8 billion), although Singapore's purchase must still be approved by Congress.
He noted that the price of the aircraft has been falling steadily because of "healthy orders" from the US and other countries like Britain and Australia, and the cost of one F-35 today has dropped by more than 40 per cent since 2010.
He estimated that the total cost of acquiring and operating an F-35B, a pricier variant of the F-35 with short take-off and vertical landing capabilities which Singapore has requested, over the lifespan of the aircraft is comparable to that of an F-15SG.
Giving an update on the RSAF's other hardware upgrades, he said that the F-16 upgrade programme which started in 2016 is on track, and the first upgraded F-16 aircraft should be rolled out around 2021.
The H225M and CH-47F helicopters will replace the Super Puma and older CH-47D Chinook that have been in service since 1983 and 1994, respectively. Delivery is expected towards the later part of the year, he said.
On the recent agreement with the US to set up a new fighter training detachment in Guam signed last December, Maj-Gen Khong said its "sole purpose" is to meet the air force's training needs.
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