The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has chosen Saab's Gripen E/F as its new future multirole fighter. Saab and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) will now follow the next steps in the procurement process with the Kingdom of Thailand.
“We welcome the Royal Thai Air Force’s selection of Gripen E/F as its future fighter and look forward to the next steps in this procurement process. Gripen E/F is the best solution to provide Thailand with independent airpower for the future which will contribute significantly to the nation’s safety and security,” President and CEO of Saab, Micael Johansson, said.
At this point, Saab has not signed a contract nor received an order relating to this announcement from the Kingdom of Thailand.
In addition to Gripen E/F fighter aircraft and associated equipment, Saab’s offer also consists of a long-term offset package. It is hoped this will benefit the national security and strategic independence of Thailand, while also bringing new jobs and investments to a range of Thai society sectors. The full details are yet to be determined.
Thailand has been operating Gripen C/D since 2011. Last year, the RTAF chose Saab's JAS-39 Gripen E/F to replace its oldest F-16A/B fighters, which were in service with the 102nd Squadron based in central Thailand. Saab's Gripen was selected after a ten-month competitive evaluation against Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 70/72. It won out because the RTAF said it met both the their tactical requirements and fit within the allocated budget.
After Brazil, Thailand will become only the second export customer for the Gripen E/F. The RTAF already operates 11 older JAS-39 Gripen C/Ds, acquired in the early 2010s.
Earlier in 2024, Saab had indicated a want to expand the market for the Gripen, looking to both the Philippines and Thailand as prospective customers at the time with the potential to also expand to the Indian market.