Initial deliveries were last June.
Chen Chuanren
Credit: Chen Chuanren/ShowNews
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has confirmed that “initial deliveries” of the upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 52s commenced last June, suggesting a maturity of the program of the type in Singapore.
Although local spotters have shot some upgraded 145 Sqdn. F-16Ds around the island, the RSAF is usually tight-lipped about such developments until it reaches a certain level of operational capability.
RSAF chief Maj. Gen. Kelvin Khong said in a written interview that the fleet is being upgraded in phases and subsequent deliveries will be rolled out progressively.
“We will continue to operate these fighter aircraft for at least another decade and are working toward replacing the F-16s at the end of their operational life,” says Khong, an F-16 and F-15SG pilot.
Singapore launched the upgrade program in 2015 with a $914 million contract award to Lockheed Martin. The improvements raise Singapore’s Pratt & Whitney F100-powered F-16 fleet to a standard similar to Lockheed’s upgraded F-16V configuration, which was unveiled at the Singapore Airshow in 2012.
The Singapore deliveries last year came about three years after Taiwan received the first similarly upgraded F-16Vs.
ST Engineering performs most of the upgrade work, although a RSAF F-16C was also spotted in Fort Worth.
RSAF F-16s will be outfitted with Northrop Grumman APG-83 active, electronically scanned array radar, Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles, Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and GBU-39/B Small-Diameter Bombs.
The RSAF also has placed four firm orders for Lockheed Martin F-35Bs, with deliveries planned for 2026. The short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing fighters will first be based in the U.S. for training and evaluation, Khong says.
The evaluation phase will help the RSAF “determine the integration requirements with the rest of the Singapore Armed Forces warfighting systems,” he adds.
The Singapore defense ministry and U.S. Defense Department have initially selected Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to house future F-35B fighter aircraft. An F-16 fighter training detachment also will be relocated from Luke AFB, Arizona.
The final decision will be confirmed after the U.S. Air Force completes an environmental impact study.
“Co-locating the RSAF’s F-35Bs and F-16 aircraft will maximize opportunities for integrated training between our fourth-generation and fifth-generation fighter aircraft, and enable joint training and exchanges with the U.S. Air Force’s and U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35s,” Khong says.
The RSAF is also planning the long-term detachment of fighters and potentially airborne early warning assets in Guam, with base infrastructure expected to be complete by 2029.
