Saab Gripen frontrunner to replace Thailand’s ageing F-16s
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) looks likely to acquire the Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F to replace its ageing F-16s, claiming the Swedish-built fighter jet is “most suitable to protect [its] national interest”.
According to a statement posted on the RTAF’s Facebook page, Thailand appears to have reached a conclusion concerning its future fighter procurement; favouring the type over the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 options proposed by US proponents.
“Saab confirms that the Royal Thai Air Force has announced their wish to purchase Saab’s Gripen fighter,” commented Mattias Rådström, head of Saabs Press Centre. Although there is currently no contract or order in place, he added that “Saab is looking forward to continuing [its] discussions with the Royal Thai Air Force and the authorities regarding future fighter capabilities for Thailand”.
The decision includes the provision of a squadron of 12 new fighters (as outlined in the RTAF’s February 2024 defence white paper) to replace 102 Squadron’s end-of-life F-16s, due to be decommissioned from 2028. The initial phase of the procurement will include the allocation of 19 billion baht (£0.42 billion) to purchase the first four aircraft, with all deliveries complete by 2034.
As detailed in the RTAF’s 2020 defence white paper, fighter aircraft in service were noted as having an average life of 26 years, although units from the F-16 A/B Block 15OCU were first delivered to the air force in 1990. In total, Thailand has received a total of 52 F-16A/Bs from the US, plus seven more units donated by Singapore in 2005.
The Gripen is no newcomer to the RTAF, however; with the air force currently operating 11 examples of the earlier C/D variant. The RTAF initiated a multi-year MS20 system improvement update in 2022 to offer both hardware and software enhancements to these existing Gripens.
The deadline for the two major manufacturers to submit proposals was extended a few weeks ago (allowing Lockheed Martin and Saab a final chance to consider their final offerings), with potential offsets (including technology transfer and training) believed to factor into any final selection.
As reported by the Bangkok Post, RTAF ACM Phanphakdee Phattanakul previously stated that the air force selection committee has already voted in favour of Gripen, whilst personally expressing confidence in the choice.
