Thailand purchase of F-35 stealth jets depends on U.S. government, says Lockheed Martin exec

F-35B Stealth Fighter Jet of U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 performs during the aerial display at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Caroline Chia

Feb 16 (Reuters) – Thailand’s interest in Lockheed Martin’s (LMT.N) F-35 stealth fighters is genuine, but clearance to buy the jets is a matter for the U.S. government, a senior executive from the defence giant said on Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow, Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin’s senior vice president for Global Business, confirmed Thailand had expressed interest, but said there was “nothing official that I am aware of that has come relative to that.”

In January, the Southeast Asian country’s air force set aside about $413 million for procuring four of the jets. Earlier, the country’s Air Chief Marshal Napadej…