Australian F-35 stealth fighters take to skies here

SINGAPORE – Rare birds – of the mechanical variety – have been spotted over the Republic.

Eagle-eyed plane spotters have managed to snap photos of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter here in recent weeks, including this one on its final approach into Paya Lebar Air Base, with the Housing Board flats of Ubi and Marine Terrace in the background.

The photo shows the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) distinctive Kangaroo roundel on the sides of the aircraft’s fuselage, said aviation enthusiast Darren Colin Goh, 56.

Australia’s F-35s participated in the bilateral Exercise Churinga with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in late September, and are currently involved in Exercise Bersama Lima, said the RSAF.

Exercise Bersama Lima is a multilateral military exercise involving air, land and naval forces from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom, held under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) established in 1971.

This year’s exercise was officially opened on Oct 1 at Changi Naval Base. The Straits Times understands that six RAAF F-35As are in Singapore for the exercises.

The inclusion of F-35 fighter jets in Bersama Lima for the first time this year fulfils a commitment that FPDA defence ministers made on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in May to incorporate next-generation capabilities into future exercises, alongside other assets such as unmanned systems and the P-8 Poseidon, a premier submarine hunter-tracker aircraft.

Photography enthusiasts here still have a chance in the coming days to catch the F-35 and other fighter jets overhead. The RSAF said it will be conducting flying activities on Oct 12 as part of Bersama Lima, and advised the public not to be alarmed by aircraft noise.

How does one tell the difference between the various jets?

The answer lies in the different vertical tails, said Mr Goh, a retail worker who sees the jets regularly from his workplace in Tai Seng.

“The F-35 has twin vertical tails that are canted outwards, compared with the F-15’s straight vertical tails and the F-16’s single tail,” he said.

While rare, this is not the first time F-35s have been spotted in the Republic.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in Parliament in February that Singapore will be acquiring eight F-35As, alongside the 12 F-35Bs it had already ordered. The F-35As are to be delivered from 2028 onwards, two years after Singapore is due to receive its first F-35Bs.

Two days later, he made a Facebook post on March 1 hinting that F-35s will be over Singapore’s skies in the next few days.

“Super express delivery? No, not quite. These are 8 US Pacific Air Forces’ F-35As here for bilateral training with our F-15SGs and an A330 MRTT (Multi-Role Tanker Transport),” he said.

The F-35A needs conventional runways to take off and land, unlike the F-35B which can take off on shorter runways and land vertically, but is able to carry heavier weapon loads and fly farther.

Singapore’s F-35s will initially be based in the United States for training, with facilities currently being built at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in the US state of Arkansas to host F-35 training for the RSAF and other international F-35 users.

“Singaporeans will have to wait a few more years for our own F-35Bs and As to arrive and protect our skies,” said Dr Ng then. “Good things come to those who wait.”