Singapore to Order Eight Additional F-35 Jets, Retire F-16s by 2030: Defense Minister

The Singapore Ministry of Defense (MoD) has decided to order eight additional F-35 Jets making up a total of 16 in its Air Forces' fleet.
"After a full evaluation, @mindefsg and the SAF conclude that the F-35 will best meet our defence needs now and in the future. @TheRSAF will be acquiring eight more F-35Bs, to be added to our fleet by end of this decade," Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Singapore Minister for Defence tweeted Friday.
"This will support the progressive drawdown of our ageing F-16s, due to retire from the mid-2030s onwards. The future Singapore Air Force (SAF) fleet will consist of F-35s and F-15s," Dr. Hen said.
Singapore has some 60 F-16 Block 50 plus aircraft which are being progressively upgraded to Block 70 plus "Viper" configuration with Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 AESA radar, improved IFF and Link 16.

The SAF had received the first upgraded F-16s in 2021-22. The schedule of upgrading the rest of the fleet is not known. There has been no official statement regarding the delivery of upgraded aircraft.
However, going by Dr. Hen's statement regarding "full evaluation" of the SAF's fighter requirements having zeroed in on the F-35 and the F-15, future upgrading of the F-16 fleet remains in doubt, even if their retirement is scheduled for 2030.