(Reuters) - Singapore is in the "final stages of evaluating" the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to upgrade its air force, a process U.S. sources say should turn quickly into orders for more than a dozen of the stealthy warplanes that have been beset with cost overruns and delivery delays.
Singapore, a major business and shipping hub with the best-equipped military in Southeast Asia, is expected to submit a "letter of request" soon for the F-35, said two U.S. government officials who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The city-state could start the process of buying the planes, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, in coming weeks, one of the officials said. Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, makes the engine for the F-35. Full story
