Singapore interested in acquiring American F-35s

The Singapore Defense Minister said on Friday that he considered the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter as the most appropriate replacement for the sixty F-16s that equip the Singapore Air Force.

The minister said he planned to acquire "a few devices at first" to conduct an assessment of these new models of fighter aircraft.

The city-state of Singapore has the largest defense budget of Southeast Asian countries and its wealth makes it one of the clients courted by arms producers.

Singapore's F-16s entered service in 1998 and are expected to be replaced soon after 2030.

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