Thai TAI and Sweden's SAAB Sign Cooperation Agreement to Support the RTAF's Gripen E/F Fighter Aircraft

10 Februari 2025

TAI and SAAB AB signed MoU to industrial support maintenance and logistics for RTAF Gripen E/F, Saab 340, Components, Tactical Data Link, and Command and Control capabilities at TAI headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand (photos: TAI)

Thai Aviation Industries (TAI) and SAAB AB, Sweden, on 7 February 2025 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at TAI's headquarters near Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, which TAI Thailand has published on its official social media channels. It is an important sign of progress in the project to procure 12 Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) through a cooperation agreement to support logistics and maintenance.

This also includes support for the delivery and maintenance of the Saab 340 ERIEYE AEW Airborne Warning and Control Aircraft and the Saab 340B Transport Aircraft, Squadron 702, Wing 7, Surat Thani, as well as increasing the capability to maintain the main parts of domestic aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Navy (RTN), enhance the capabilities of Tactical Data Link (TDL) and Command and Control (C2) networks to Thai TAI in accordance with the offset and technology transfer policy to develop the Thai aviation and defense industries.

The Royal Thai Air Force is looking to receive approval from the Thai government and the Thai parliament in fiscal year 2025 around April-May 2025 for the replacement of its F-16A/B ADF fighters of Squadron 102, Wing 1, Korat with 12 Gripen E/F fighters.

Phase 1 procurement, with a budget of approximately 19,000,000,000 baht ($539 million), consists of the first 4 aircraft, consisting of 3 single-seat fighter aircraft Gripen E and 1 two-seat fighter aircraft Gripen F, with the contract expected to be signed around June 2025 and will be delivered to Squadron 102, Wing 1 in 2029.

The Royal Thai Air Force has selected the Swedish Gripen E/F fighter over the US Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 Viper fighter from two final options out of 22 fighter jets considered.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Panpakdee Pattanakul, previously revealed to Thai media in January 2025 that Sweden’s proposed compensation agreement, including trade, imports, and exports, would be worth more than 60 billion baht ($1,778,515,530). The recent signing of the MOU between TAI Thailand and SAAB Sweden paves the way for the procurement agreement to be finalized soon.

(AAG)

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