By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE AIR FORCE IS LOOKING FOR a sum of 19 billion baht in funding for next fiscal year for the planned procurement of new squadrons of fighters to replace the ageing ones scheduled to be decommissioned in the next four years, air force chief ACM Panpakdee Patanakul confirmed today (Jan.30).
The air force would largely prefer to buy either Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 Fighting Falcon or Saab JAS 39 Gripen jets to replace General Dynamics F-16s and Northrop F-5TH Super Tigris jets, according to the air force chief.
Pivotal to the air force’s ultimate preference for either type of the sought-after fighters will be the proven cost-effectiveness of those combat aircraft to buy and replace the ageing ones, beginning in 2028, according to the air force chief.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has initially given the green light for the air force’s seeking some 19 billion baht in 2025 funding for the new fighters procurement scheme on grounds that the chosen combat aircraft’s qualities will ultimately be deemed by air marshals as “optimum”, ACM Panpakdee said.
The air force has reportedly taken into consideration the Block 70/72 variant of the fourth-generation F-16, most of which have been deployed at Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima and Wing 4 in Nakhon Sawan since the last three and a half decades whilst the F-5s have been upgraded and deployed at Wing 21 in Ubon Ratchathani for over half a century now.
A squadron of the Swedish-built Gripen jets are currently deployed at Wing 7 in Surat Thani.
However, he said it would likely take the air force a range of 7 to 10 years from now until either F-16 Block 70 or JAS 39 Gripen is delivered from the United States or Sweden respectively.
He said the Thai air force needs to keep itself on par with modern aviation technology and upgraded weapon systems in regard to those being used today or will be used in the future by neighbouring countries.
The Thai air force has earlier planned to purchase a mini-squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters though the probability of success in the highly-preferable procurement of the sixth-generation fighter has been so far considered as slim.
CAPTIONS:
Top: The Royal Bahraini Air Force took delivery of the first of 16 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter jets in March 2023. Photo: Lockheed Martin and published by Breaking Defense
Insert: Gripen fighter: Photo:Reuters/ Piroschka van de Wouw and published by The Voice of New Ukraine
Front Page: An F-16 Block 70 aircraft. Photo: Fox Business
Also read: F-16 jet fighters to be decommissioned in next 5 years: Air Force Chief
US puts off sale of F-35A fighters: Air force source
US offers faster 4.5-generation F-16 fighter jets to Thailand
Thailand has 50:50 chance of procuring F-35 fighters: Air Force Chief
Another couple of Russian-built Su-30 fighters arrive in Myanmar
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