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09 October 2023
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) inducted its first Lockheed Martin F-16A/B aircraft in 1988. The fleet was subject to a mid-life upgrade (MLU) from 2012. (US Department of Defense)
The Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF’s) plan to procure a replacement fighter aircraft for its ageing Lockheed Martin F-16A/B fleet has been delayed.
Thailand seeks to decommission its 49-strong F-16A/B fleet by 2028. In its 2020 White Paper, the RTAF envisaged procuring 12 new fighter aircraft between 2023 and 2028, to be followed by another 12 aircraft in 2028–33. The RTAF was to proceed with its procurement plan in 2023. However, on 4 October Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul, commander in chief of the RTAF, said the procurement plan was on hold due to the Thai government’s focus on economic improvement policies.
The RTAF spokesperson, Air Vice-Marshal Prapas Sonjaidee, told Janes that a new procurement plan will be introduced in 2024–25 to ensure that the new aircraft can be commissioned in time before an initial number of F-16s are phased out in 2028.
The RTAF is currently “in the process of revising its project requirements and conditions”, he said.
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