SINGAPORE, Jan 18 — Singapore's defence minister said today that Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jets were the most suitable replacement for its F-16 fleet, and it planned to buy "a few planes first” for evaluation.

"They (defence agencies) have decided that the F-35 would be the most suitable replacement fighter,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post.

"We want to procure a few planes first, to fully evaluate the capabilities of the F-35 before deciding on the acquisition of a full fleet,” he added.

Singapore's fleet of around 60 F-16 jets are nearing the end of their service life. — Reuters