Air Force to use next year's budget for acquiring new aircraft
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) will spend its budget next year on acquiring new aircraft and their components, commander-in-chief Air Chief Marshal Alongkorn Vannarot said on Wednesday.
He said the RTAF would replace old aircraft with the new acquisitions to support humanitarian missions. He said the old Airbus 340 aircraft had been used for 18 years, and would be decommissioned in 2026.
On February 16, the aircraft was used to fly 36 Thai evacuees and the body of a Thai woman killed by the massive earthquake in Turkey on February 6, he added.
“The procurement of new aircraft would take three to four years," he said, adding that it could take away a large chunk of the budget.
Alongkorn said the RTAF would spend its budget to improve the radar efficiency of Saab 340 aircraft. He added that this aircraft was used in air defence operations during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in November last year.
"In addition, the RTAF is waiting for the US response on the purchase of the world’s most sophisticated fighter jet, the F-35," he said, adding that the RTAF has alternatives if its bid fails.
He expects the US to respond by July this year, confirming that the government transition in the upcoming general election would not affect RTAF projects.
"Hence, we would like to ask people to understand what RTAF is doing," he said.
He also confirmed that RTAF has a project to maintain its Saab Gripen periodically.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth aircraft. It is considered the most technologically advanced fighter jet.
Military experts say the US may be unwilling to sell them to Thailand to prevent China from getting access to their technology.
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