diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index a8368cb7e58..7b61e66d613 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -387,6 +387,9 @@ Release 2.8.0 - UNRELEASED
 
     HADOOP-12755. Fix typo in defaultFS warning message. (wang)
 
+    HADOOP-12292. Make use of DeleteObjects optional.
+    (Thomas Demoor via stevel)
+
   OPTIMIZATIONS
 
     HADOOP-11785. Reduce the number of listStatus operation in distcp
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/resources/core-default.xml b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/resources/core-default.xml
index b1286c5a0fc..b45f7bcc57b 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/resources/core-default.xml
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/resources/core-default.xml
@@ -888,6 +888,15 @@ for ldap providers in the same way as above does.
   <description>Threshold before uploads or copies use parallel multipart operations.</description>
 </property>
 
+<property>
+  <name>fs.s3a.multiobjectdelete.enable</name>
+  <value>true</value>
+  <description>When enabled, multiple single-object delete requests are replaced by
+    a single 'delete multiple objects'-request, reducing the number of requests.
+    Beware: legacy S3-compatible object stores might not support this request.
+  </description>
+</property>
+
 <property>
   <name>fs.s3a.acl.default</name>
   <description>Set a canned ACL for newly created and copied objects. Value may be private, 
diff --git a/hadoop-project/pom.xml b/hadoop-project/pom.xml
index ab03e2cfb1b..91a38cb1b3e 100644
--- a/hadoop-project/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-project/pom.xml
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@
     <exec-maven-plugin.version>1.3.1</exec-maven-plugin.version>
     <make-maven-plugin.version>1.0-beta-1</make-maven-plugin.version>
     <native-maven-plugin.version>1.0-alpha-8</native-maven-plugin.version>
+    <surefire.fork.timeout>900</surefire.fork.timeout>
   </properties>
 
   <dependencyManagement>
@@ -1172,7 +1173,7 @@
         <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
         <configuration>
           <reuseForks>false</reuseForks>
-          <forkedProcessTimeoutInSeconds>900</forkedProcessTimeoutInSeconds>
+          <forkedProcessTimeoutInSeconds>${surefire.fork.timeout}</forkedProcessTimeoutInSeconds>
           <argLine>${maven-surefire-plugin.argLine}</argLine>
           <environmentVariables>
             <HADOOP_COMMON_HOME>${hadoop.common.build.dir}</HADOOP_COMMON_HOME>
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/Constants.java b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/Constants.java
index 60d4b9b875b..faa760cac38 100644
--- a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/Constants.java
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/Constants.java
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ public class Constants {
   public static final String MIN_MULTIPART_THRESHOLD = "fs.s3a.multipart.threshold";
   public static final long DEFAULT_MIN_MULTIPART_THRESHOLD = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
 
+  //enable multiobject-delete calls?
+  public static final String ENABLE_MULTI_DELETE = "fs.s3a.multiobjectdelete.enable";
+
   // comma separated list of directories
   public static final String BUFFER_DIR = "fs.s3a.buffer.dir";
 
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/S3AFileSystem.java b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/S3AFileSystem.java
index 6ede9f2d623..adf6178cc5f 100644
--- a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/S3AFileSystem.java
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/S3AFileSystem.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import com.amazonaws.auth.AWSCredentialsProviderChain;
 import com.amazonaws.auth.InstanceProfileCredentialsProvider;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.AmazonS3Client;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.model.CannedAccessControlList;
+import com.amazonaws.services.s3.model.DeleteObjectRequest;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.model.DeleteObjectsRequest;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.model.ListObjectsRequest;
 import com.amazonaws.services.s3.model.ObjectListing;
@@ -85,6 +86,7 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
   private String bucket;
   private int maxKeys;
   private long partSize;
+  private boolean enableMultiObjectsDelete;
   private TransferManager transfers;
   private ThreadPoolExecutor threadPoolExecutor;
   private long multiPartThreshold;
@@ -252,6 +254,7 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
     partSize = conf.getLong(MULTIPART_SIZE, DEFAULT_MULTIPART_SIZE);
     multiPartThreshold = conf.getLong(MIN_MULTIPART_THRESHOLD,
       DEFAULT_MIN_MULTIPART_THRESHOLD);
+    enableMultiObjectsDelete = conf.getBoolean(ENABLE_MULTI_DELETE, true);
 
     if (partSize < 5 * 1024 * 1024) {
       LOG.error(MULTIPART_SIZE + " must be at least 5 MB");
@@ -580,11 +583,7 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
           copyFile(summary.getKey(), newDstKey);
 
           if (keysToDelete.size() == MAX_ENTRIES_TO_DELETE) {
-            DeleteObjectsRequest deleteRequest =
-                new DeleteObjectsRequest(bucket).withKeys(keysToDelete);
-            s3.deleteObjects(deleteRequest);
-            statistics.incrementWriteOps(1);
-            keysToDelete.clear();
+            removeKeys(keysToDelete, true);
           }
         }
 
@@ -592,11 +591,8 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
           objects = s3.listNextBatchOfObjects(objects);
           statistics.incrementReadOps(1);
         } else {
-          if (keysToDelete.size() > 0) {
-            DeleteObjectsRequest deleteRequest =
-                new DeleteObjectsRequest(bucket).withKeys(keysToDelete);
-            s3.deleteObjects(deleteRequest);
-            statistics.incrementWriteOps(1);
+          if (!keysToDelete.isEmpty()) {
+            removeKeys(keysToDelete, false);
           }
           break;
         }
@@ -610,6 +606,36 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
     return true;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * A helper method to delete a list of keys on a s3-backend.
+   *
+   * @param keysToDelete collection of keys to delete on the s3-backend
+   * @param clearKeys clears the keysToDelete-list after processing the list
+   *            when set to true
+   */
+  private void removeKeys(List<DeleteObjectsRequest.KeyVersion> keysToDelete,
+          boolean clearKeys) {
+    if (enableMultiObjectsDelete) {
+      DeleteObjectsRequest deleteRequest
+          = new DeleteObjectsRequest(bucket).withKeys(keysToDelete);
+      s3.deleteObjects(deleteRequest);
+      statistics.incrementWriteOps(1);
+    } else {
+      int writeops = 0;
+
+      for (DeleteObjectsRequest.KeyVersion keyVersion : keysToDelete) {
+        s3.deleteObject(
+            new DeleteObjectRequest(bucket, keyVersion.getKey()));
+        writeops++;
+      }
+
+      statistics.incrementWriteOps(writeops);
+    }
+    if (clearKeys) {
+      keysToDelete.clear();
+    }
+  }
+
   /** Delete a file.
    *
    * @param f the path to delete.
@@ -684,11 +710,7 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
             }
 
             if (keys.size() == MAX_ENTRIES_TO_DELETE) {
-              DeleteObjectsRequest deleteRequest =
-                  new DeleteObjectsRequest(bucket).withKeys(keys);
-              s3.deleteObjects(deleteRequest);
-              statistics.incrementWriteOps(1);
-              keys.clear();
+              removeKeys(keys, true);
             }
           }
 
@@ -697,10 +719,7 @@ public class S3AFileSystem extends FileSystem {
             statistics.incrementReadOps(1);
           } else {
             if (!keys.isEmpty()) {
-              DeleteObjectsRequest deleteRequest =
-                  new DeleteObjectsRequest(bucket).withKeys(keys);
-              s3.deleteObjects(deleteRequest);
-              statistics.incrementWriteOps(1);
+              removeKeys(keys, false);
             }
             break;
           }
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/site/markdown/tools/hadoop-aws/index.md b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/site/markdown/tools/hadoop-aws/index.md
index b27c0505163..2f3352ba892 100644
--- a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/site/markdown/tools/hadoop-aws/index.md
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/site/markdown/tools/hadoop-aws/index.md
@@ -272,6 +272,15 @@ If you do any of these: change your credentials immediately!
       <description>Threshold before uploads or copies use parallel multipart operations.</description>
     </property>
 
+    <property>
+      <name>fs.s3a.multiobjectdelete.enable</name>
+      <value>false</value>
+      <description>When enabled, multiple single-object delete requests are replaced by
+        a single 'delete multiple objects'-request, reducing the number of requests.
+        Beware: legacy S3-compatible object stores might not support this request.
+      </description>
+    </property>
+
     <property>
       <name>fs.s3a.acl.default</name>
       <description>Set a canned ACL for newly created and copied objects. Value may be private,
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/S3AScaleTestBase.java b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/S3AScaleTestBase.java
index e0cbc92f5c9..e44a90e902e 100644
--- a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/S3AScaleTestBase.java
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/S3AScaleTestBase.java
@@ -36,13 +36,21 @@ import static org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue;
 
 /**
  * Base class for scale tests; here is where the common scale configuration
- * keys are defined
+ * keys are defined.
  */
 public class S3AScaleTestBase {
 
   public static final String SCALE_TEST = "scale.test.";
+
+  /**
+   * The number of operations to perform: {@value}
+   */
   public static final String KEY_OPERATION_COUNT =
       SCALE_TEST + "operation.count";
+
+  /**
+   * The default number of operations to perform: {@value}
+   */
   public static final long DEFAULT_OPERATION_COUNT = 2005;
 
   protected S3AFileSystem fs;
@@ -71,6 +79,7 @@ public class S3AScaleTestBase {
   @Before
   public void setUp() throws Exception {
     conf = createConfiguration();
+    LOG.info("Scale test operation count = {}", getOperationCount());
     fs = S3ATestUtils.createTestFileSystem(conf);
   }
 
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteFilesOneByOne.java b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteFilesOneByOne.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..77c85a91388
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteFilesOneByOne.java
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ *  or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ *  distributed with this work for additional information
+ *  regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ *  to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ *  "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ *  with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ *  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ *  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ *  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ *  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ *  limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.apache.hadoop.fs.s3a.scale;
+
+import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
+import org.apache.hadoop.fs.s3a.Constants;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+public class TestS3ADeleteFilesOneByOne extends TestS3ADeleteManyFiles {
+
+  @Override
+  protected Configuration createConfiguration() {
+    Configuration configuration = super.createConfiguration();
+    configuration.setBoolean(Constants.ENABLE_MULTI_DELETE, false);
+    return configuration;
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testOpenCreate() throws IOException {
+
+  }
+}
diff --git a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteManyFiles.java b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteManyFiles.java
index c913a67a4a9..d521ba8ac99 100644
--- a/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteManyFiles.java
+++ b/hadoop-tools/hadoop-aws/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/s3a/scale/TestS3ADeleteManyFiles.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public class TestS3ADeleteManyFiles extends S3AScaleTestBase {
     // use Executor to speed up file creation
     ExecutorService exec = Executors.newFixedThreadPool(16);
     final ExecutorCompletionService<Boolean> completionService =
-        new ExecutorCompletionService<Boolean>(exec);
+        new ExecutorCompletionService<>(exec);
     try {
       final byte[] data = ContractTestUtils.dataset(testBufferSize, 'a', 'z');