Thai air force wants to acquire Swedish Gripen 39 fighter jets

PHOTO CAPTION: A Swedish Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet flies during a media day, illustrating how NATO Air Policing safeguards the Allies' airspace in the northern and northeastern region of the Alliance, July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

BANGKOK (Reuters) -The Thai Air Force said on Tuesday it wanted to acquire Gripen 39 fighter jets built by Sweden's SAAB to replace its ageing jet fighters.

The Air Force said it had spent 10 months weighing all options before deciding "the JAS 39 Gripen E/F has the capability to match the demand of the military doctrine and the Air Force's strategy,” the statement said.

The Thai Air Force was initially choosing between the Gripen and the U.S.-made Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets with the final decision to buy remaining subject to approval by the Thai cabinet.

"I can confirm that the Thai Air Force have communicated their wish to purchase the Gripen fighter jets in the future," a SAAB spokesperson told Reuters.

There is currently no contract or order in place, the spokesperson added.

Thailand currently has 11 JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets and dozens of American F-16 and F-5 jets, some of which have been in operation since the late 1980s

The Air Force had already requested a budget of 19 billion baht ($560 million) for 2025 fiscal year for the purchase of four new unspecified fighter jets, to be acquired over 2025 to 2029.

This is part of its long-term plan to acquire an overall of 12 new fighter jets by fiscal year of 2034 to replace its ageing fighters.

The budget passed a first reading in June with the second and third readings due to take place early next month.

($1 = 34.0300 baht)

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok, Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Editing by Gareth Jones and Jonathan Oatis)