According to a Reuters interview with manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp’s executive vice-president Rick Edwards on Thursday (Feb 8) at the Singapore Air Show. the Singapore government is looking to buy F35 fighter jets. Each fighter jet is priced at US$94.6 million each, or about S$125 million each.
“They, I think, are seriously evaluating the F-35, as well as other platforms I‘m sure. When they are ready we will respond.”
The decision is never made public, and neither did the Defense Ministry raised the issue in Parliament hearings last week.
The Singapore government has in recent months churning numerous propaganda on raising taxes, claiming that the ageing population will increase healthcare expenditures. From 2003 to 2015, the dictatorship bought as many as 80 F15s, and a number of military planes from US’s Lockheed Martin Corp. The actual amount of money spent on these planes is unknown.
However the ruling party regime has been selective with the truth, as a major part of the taxes raised will also be spent on other lavish projects like the multi-billion Terminal 5. There has been no price tag on Terminal 5 yet, but according to state media Straits Times it would cost more than the S$1.7 billion Project Jewel – a luxury remake of airport terminal 1.
Singapore has one of the highest military spending in the world, at 3.4% of the annual GDP. In 2017, S$14.2 billion was spent, with most equipment bought from United States. Healthcare spending in 2016 was only S$10 billion, and only S$700 million was spent on infrastructures.