Air Force chooses Sweden’s Gripen E/F to replace old F-16s
Gripen E/F fighter jet considered more suited to the needs of the Royal Thai Air Force than its American cousin
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) announced on Tuesday that it would procure Sweden’s JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter aircrafts to replace the aging F-16 A/B jets in the 102nd Squadron of 1st Wing Division.
The move is part of the 19.5-billion-baht project to procure a new fleet of fighter jets to replace the old planes that will be gradually decommissioned between 2028 and 2035 after being used for more than 36 years.
In its statement, the RTAF said its ad-hoc committee had spent over 10 months considering suitable aircraft from a list of over 20 models, before shortlisting the F-16 Block 70/72 from the US and the JAS 39 Gripen E/F from Sweden.
“The committee concluded that the JAS 39 Gripen E/F aircraft has capabilities that meet the operational demands based on the principles and strategies of the RTAF,” said the statement. “It also offers operational flexibility and can be developed further to enhance multi-domain operational capabilities involving the Air Force, the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy, and various security agencies. This aligns with the future concept of network-centric operations and is consistent with the budget framework allocated to the Air Force.”
The statement added that the aircraft seller also offers direct and indirect compensation policies, which will help enhance Thailand’s defence capability to international standards and increase the technological skills of its personnel through overseas scholarship programmes.
The RATF assured the public that it will carry out the procurement of the aircraft in such a way as to maximise the value of the budget that comes from taxpayers’ money. The process will be transparent, verifiable and efficient, leading to the acquisition of high-performance equipment for safeguarding Thailand’s sovereignty and protecting aerial national interests.
“This will ensure effective responses to current and future threats, in line with the budgetary constraints and the government's policy,” the statement read.
