By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE AIR FORCE IS scheduled in the upcoming June to choose to purchase either a squadron of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon or a squadron of Saab JAS 39E Gripen fighter jets, according to air force chief ACM Panpakdee Pattanakul.
Both types of combat aircraft have so far appeared the most likely for the air force to choose to buy with an estimated 30 billion baht in funding for next fiscal year.
ACM Panpakdee has confirmed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has informally endorsed the air force’s planned purchase of a new squadron of fighter jets whilst the cabinet is scheduled on Apr. 2 to consider giving the green light to it though, he said, no specific type of the sought-after combat aircraft will be available to present during the cabinet meeting that day.
The air force chief categorically denied that he would personally prefer the Swedish-made JAS 39E rather than the United States-made F-16 Block 70/72 since he recently flew a twin-seat JAS 39D fighter as a co-pilot.
ACM Panpakdee said he was merely participating in a routine flight training among Gripen fighter pilots based at Wing 7 in Surat Thani and evaluating their performance and denied he could possibly more or less influence a decision of the air force’s arms procurement committee, obliged to choose between the two rivals of combat aircraft.
The air force chief said the procurement panel will not only compare the upgraded operational capabilities of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 with those of Saab JAS 39E and airborne potential characteristics of both types but consider a barter trade agreement which could possibly be offered in exchange for a combat aircraft purchase deal between Thailand and the United States or Thailand and Sweden respectively.
The air force is seeking some 30 billion baht in funding for next fiscal year to buy a squadron of modern fighter jets to replace the ageing F-16A/B Fighting Falcon jets currently deployed at Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima and Wing 4 in Takhli as well as the Northrop F-5TH Super Tigris jets currently deployed at Wing 21 in Ubon Ratchathani.
A Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 is currently reported to have an average flyaway cost of about US$63 million, compared to some US$85 million for a Saab JAS 39E.
CAPTIONS:
Top: A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon flies in the US Central Command area of responsibility on Nov. 30, 2020. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multirole fighter aircraft that delivers war-winning airpower. US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sean Carnes and published by Alert5.com
Insert: Saab JAS 39E fighter jet. Photo: Thai Rath
Front Page: Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 fighter jet. Photo: Lockheed Martin and published by Breaking Defense
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