Thailand’s government has expressed support for the Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF’s) decision to obtain the Saab Gripen E/F fighter.
The defence ministry has backed the decision for the Swedish-made jet, according to defence minister Phumtham Wechayachai, quoted by the Bangkok Post newspaper.
“As the RTAF wants to acquire another squadron, I let the air force select the model they prefer as they know best which fighter jet is most suitable to defend our country,” Wechayachai is quoted as saying.
“The procurement should be completed by the end of this year. I will approve the RTAF’s purchase of Gripen fighter jets if the price does not exceed our budget, and a technological transfer is involved.”
His remarks suggest that the chances for Bangkok to reconsider the Gripen’s rival for the 12-aircraft deal, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72, have further diminished.
In August 2024, the RTAF signalled that it wanted to move forward with the Gripen E/F. Two months later Saab chief executive Micael Johansson confirmed that the Gripen E/F had been downselected, and that the company was moving forward with contract negotiations.
Both Lockheed and Saab had offered offsets in their respective fighter packages.
Following the RTAF’s selection of the Gripen E/F, a source told FlightGlobal that Lockheed had revised its offering. The revision involved upgrading 18 older RTAF F-16 Block 15s with new communications, datalinks, and identification friend or foe systems that will allow them to fully benefit from the sensor suite found on the Block 70/72.
In addition to operating legacy F-16s, the RTAF also operates 11 Gripen C/Ds.
