Singapore Enhances F-35B Training Partnership with US at Ebbing Air National Guard Base

Singapore Deepens Joint Fighter Training with United States Under F-35 Expansion Plan

Mohd Hanif Ismail - : Nov 3, 2025 - : 3:12 pm

To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:

Singapore is strengthening its long-term air combat partnership with the United States as the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) advances towards integrating the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II into its frontline fleet by the end of 2026. The latest step comes in the form of US-approved construction and infrastructure services to support Singapore’s fighter training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.

According to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Washington has approved a foreign military sale request for construction services and associated support facilities that will host Singapore’s future F-35B and existing F-16 training operations. The package strengthens the RSAF’s overseas training footprint, offering more airspace and joint training opportunities than is available in Singapore’s constrained environment.

The DSCA announcement – first published by the agency’s public affairs office – underscores a growing level of bilateral defence integration centred on the fifth-generation fighter. Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has repeatedly emphasised that the F-35B will enhance the nation’s ability to operate in contested environments, aligning with the city-state’s focus on survivability, short-take-off-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) flexibility, and network-centric warfare.

Singapore committed to acquiring 12 F-35Bs across multiple tranches, continuing a programme that began with the first four aircraft approved in 2020. Deliveries remain “on track for end-2026”, MINDEF stated during an August 2025 update. The Straits Times also reported that final operational capability is expected before the end of the decade, positioning Singapore as the first Southeast Asian nation to field the advanced jet.

Asia-Pacific defence analysts note that Singapore’s forward-looking modernisation contrasts with slower regional procurement cycles. A September 2025 report by Indo-Pacific Defense Forum highlighted that Singapore is adding US-made fighters to ensure the RSAF retains a qualitative edge while neighbouring air forces move to acquire stealth-capable or long-range strike aircraft. With rising geopolitical uncertainty, particularly over the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, training interoperability with the United States is viewed as an important strategic hedge.

Ebbing Air National Guard Base is expected to host not only Singaporean aircrew and maintainers but also joint exercises with US units stationed in the region. Its expanded infrastructure will support the specialised maintenance, advanced simulation, and logistics flow required for F-35 operations, ultimately reinforcing the wider US–Singapore security partnership, including rotational deployments and maritime surveillance cooperation.

As the RSAF transitions from the F-16 fleet that has served as its primary combat asset since the 1990s, the F-35B programme represents the cornerstone of Singapore’s next-generation air power strategy. The latest infrastructure approval points to a long-term, institutionalised partnership linking the two nations’ air forces, ensuring Singapore remains among the most capable air power players in the Asia-Pacific.