Thailand to Acquire Eight More Gripen Fighter Jets

Thailand's air force plans to quietly procure an additional eight Swedish-made Gripen E/F fighter jets, according to an air force source. This is in addition to four others of the same type whose purchase has already been placed with Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab AB. The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), which previously purchased four Gripen E/F fighter jets for $138 million each, intends to buy eight more of the Swedish-made, fourth-generation tactical combat aircraft. The plan is to form a new squadron of a dozen fighter jets for deployment at Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, the country’s largest air force base, by fiscal year 2028. The planned procurement of the Gripen E/F is primarily meant to replace the aging U.S.-made F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets that have been deployed at Wing 1 for the past three decades. Another squadron of F-16s is also currently deployed at Wing 4 in Takhli. Furthermore, a squadron of a dozen Gripen C/D fighter jets is currently deployed at Wing 7 in Surat Thani. A ceremonial parade of these Swedish-made combat aircraft was held today (July 20) to mark their 15th anniversary of deployment, attended by Air Force Chief ACM Seksan Khantha and Supreme Commander Gen. Ukrit Boontanont. Last month, the Gripen C/D jets from the southern air base, along with F-16s from Korat air base, joined Thailand's armed campaign against Cambodia's armed forces along the former’s lower-northeastern borderlines. This marked the first time these Swedish-made military aircraft of this type have engaged in real combat anywhere in the world since their manufacture began in 1987. In a past incident, one Gripen C/D fighter jet accidentally crash-landed in 2017 during an air show on National Children's Day at Wing 56 in Songkhla, resulting in the pilot's death. Spatial disorientation of the pilot was reportedly concluded as the cause of the fatal mishap.