Singapore is eyeing a potential procurement of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter aircraft somewhere in the 2030 timeframe, Defense News reported Monday.
Aaron Mehta quoted Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen as saying that the F-35 is “a good plane, but our needs aren’t so urgent at this point and time.”
Ng added that he predicts the country’s current F-15 and F-16 fighter jets could remain well in operation through the next one or two decades, according to the report.
Lockheed was awarded a $914 million contract by the U.S. Air Force in December 2015 to update Singapore’s F-16 fleet under a foreign military sales agreement.