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Buying more F-35Bs for fewer air bases and the limits of ‘jets for land’ thinking
Amid the consolidation of land for defence use, Singapore must guard against thinking that suggests defence can be traded off.
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The F-35B’s unique set of capabilities enhances the RSAF’s air power generation during a potential conflict.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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In discerning who might be the most ardent supporters behind Singapore’s rapid build-up of F-35 fighter jets, one does not expect property agents to feature.
And yet with the helicopter-like ability of the B variant to take off from runways as short as 244m and to land vertically, the F-35’s role in enabling the redevelopment of Paya Lebar Air Base in the 2030s into residential areas and other uses is coming into sharper focus.
