Gripen or F-16? Thai air force still undecided on fighter jets

In an update on the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF)’s plans to procure new fighter jets, RTAF commander-in-chief ACM Punpakdee Pattanakul said a special selection committee will be set up to choose between Gripen E-series or F-16 Block 70 planes.

In a press conference at the Air Technical Training School in Don Mueang on Friday, Punpakdee said all proposals will have to be carefully considered.

The plan is to procure four new fighter jets to retire ageing ones, and RTAF has asked for 19 billion baht from the fiscal 2025 budget for the project.

In May, the RTAF chief visited companies such as SAAB in Sweden and Lockheed Martin in the United States to discuss potential options. He took along a team to gather information comprehensively, though he said no decisions have been made yet. Gripen planes are made in Sweden and F-16 in the US.

“RTAF needs to assess all options meticulously because opportunities to allocate a huge budget like this are rare and must yield the most value and benefit to the country and its taxpayers,” he said.

“Even on the day of the announcement, we may not conclusively state which option we will choose. We will keep all possibilities open until we establish a selection committee, which will evaluate all official documents thoroughly because decisions made during meetings may not necessarily align with considerations. Therefore, we must exercise the utmost caution.”

When asked if there may be any deadlock in considering the RTAF’s bid for 19 billion baht for the purchase, Punpakdee said the RTAF is doing its best to instil trust and confidence. He said the aim is to make lawmakers understand that they will secure the most valuable assets for the country and the air force has prepared evidence and other information to back this up.