The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) plans to procure three fighter aircraft from Sweden after the US recently refused to sell F-35A fighter jets, an RTAF source said on Thursday.
The RTAF plans to procure three Gripen jet fighters from Sweden to add to its fleet in Wing 7 in Surat Thani, the source said on Thursday.
The air force had bought a fleet of 12 Gripen fighters based at Wing 7 in Surat Thani but lost one in a crash.
Each Gripen fighter aircraft costs around 2 billion baht.
The Swedes will also update a radar system the RTAF uses, which will cost around 4 billion baht as it has been in service for a decade, the source said.
The source said RTAF commander-in-chief ACM Alongkorn Wannarot had not yet formed a panel to study and select which fighter aircraft can replace the kingdom’s F-16 fighter jets that have been in service for three decades.
Although the US…
