Royal Thai Air Force selects JAS 39 Gripen E/F to be inducted into new fighter strike squadron
Royal Thai Air Force
Public Relations Division,
Office of Civil Affairs and Public Relations, Department of Civil Affairs,
Royal Thai Air Force, 27 August 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=artsDD5rv_s
The Air Force has selected JAS 39 Gripen E/F to be included in the new fighter strike squadron as the Air Force has implemented the first phase of the fighter strike aircraft procurement project in the fiscal year 2025-2029 to replace the Type 19/K or F-16 A/B fighter aircraft at Squadron 102, Wing 1, which has been in service since 1988, more than 36 years.
The procurement project is a project that the Air Force places great importance on, as specified in the Air Force White Paper 2019.2024 (RTAF Whitepaper 2024) Since this is a project that requires a high budget from the people's taxes, the committee for selecting and determining the method for procuring replacement fighter aircraft for the Royal Thai Air Force, which was assigned by the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, is aware that the consideration of such a project must be done meticulously in order to create value for the procurement of fighter aircraft for national defense missions for at least another 30 years.
The replacement fighter aircraft must have better capabilities than the fighter aircraft currently in service with the Royal Thai Air Force, be suitable in terms of commonality and continuity, and be able to be further developed according to the strategies of the Royal Thai Air Force and the Royal Thai Armed Forces in the future. It must also implement the Offset Policy to develop towards sustainable self-reliance, enhance economic value, and increase Thailand's competitiveness in the international arena.
From the above important principles and considerations, the committee for selecting the model has set detailed steps and criteria for consideration, taking more than 10 months to complete. Therefore, it can be concluded that the JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft has the capability to meet the strategic needs according to the principles and strategies of the Royal Thai Air Force, is also free to use, and can be further developed to increase the potential for multi-dimensional joint operations (Multi-Domain Operations) between the Air Force, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy and various security agencies under the concept of network-centric operations that will be effective in the future, including being in line with the budget framework that the Air Force has been allocated, as well as having a policy to compensate for the import of military equipment, both directly in creating opportunities for the development of the defense industry leading to self-reliance, in order to raise standards to the international level, and indirectly in providing scholarships to personnel abroad, both within the Air Force and the general public, to have advanced knowledge and skills, including the transfer of environmental and agricultural technologies, as well as the creation of innovation centers that lead to increased productivity in generating income and increasing Thailand's competitiveness, in order to develop the economy in various aspects in the long term.
The Air Force would like to assure the people that the JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jet procurement project will be carried out to be cost-effective for the budget received from the people's taxes, transparent, verifiable and efficient, which will lead to the acquisition of high-performance military equipment for use in protecting sovereignty and preserving national interests in the air, and can effectively respond to threats in the current and future environments, in accordance with the budget status and national development guidelines in accordance with the government's policies.
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