SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has said eight United States Pacific Air Forces’ (Pacaf) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jets will be in Singapore from March 1 to 7 for a stopover and training with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), before taking part in an exercise in Thailand.
The F-35As will conduct dissimilar air combat training (Dact) with the RSAF’s Boeing F-15SG fighter jets, and air-to-air refuelling training with the RSAF’s A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport.
The training will be conducted in the southern reaches of the South China Sea, within international airspace, according to Mindef.
Photos and videos released by Mindef show at least two F-35As landing at Paya Lebar Air Base. The Straits Times understands the jets arrived in the early afternoon.
Dact refers to mock air combat battles between two different types of aircraft, and is used by pilots to familiarise themselves with fighting against aircraft with performance and characteristics similar to aircraft used by potential adversaries, or to train them in how to utilise their own aircraft’s strengths when facing off against different types of aircraft.
Mindef said that following the stopover, the F-35As will deploy to Korat, Thailand, for the trilateral Exercise Cope Tiger 2024, alongside the RSAF and the Royal Thai Air Force.
The ministry added that bilateral training provides a valuable opportunity for RSAF servicemen to train alongside the Pacaf’s F-35A aircrew and ground crew, and learn from other experienced F-35 operators to support Singapore’s F-35 acquisition and operationalisation journey. This combined training also underscores the excellent and longstanding defence relations between Singapore and the US.
The arrival of the Pacaf F-35As comes after Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in Parliament on Feb 28 that Singapore will acquire eight F-35As.
He added that the jets, which are expected to be delivered around 2030, will complement the 12 F-35Bs already ordered by the Republic and the RSAF’s F-15SGs.
