Thailand acquired its first batch of six Gripen C/Ds starting in February 2011, having ordered the type in 2008. SAAB delivered a planned second batch in 2013 to complete the equipment of 701 Squadron at Surat Thani. The aircraft primarily serve defence roles and operate alongside a pair of SAAB 340 airborne early warning aircraft supplied with the fighters as part of an overall air defence package.
Now the Royal Thai Air Force needs to replace its oldest batch of Lockheed Martin F-16s that serve with Wing 1/103 Squadron at Korat. It received deliveries of the F-16A/B Block 15s in the late 1980s and plans to withdraw them from service in 2028. Thailand stated a desire to acquire Lockheed Martin F-35s, but the U.S. will not provide them. The RTAF is in the process of evaluating a suitable alternative. As both the Gripen and F-16 already fly in RTAF service, they are the front-runners.
The RTAF hasn’t decided whether it will seek new or used fighters or whether it will choose the Gripen C/D or E/F. An Airpower White Paper is due to be published this year, which is expected to provide more clarity on the requirement.
In the Philippines, SAAB awaits the new administration for further details of the nation’s new fighter requirement. It originally required 12 fighters, and SAAB proposed a bid based on the Gripen C/D. It offered that version not only on budgetary grounds but also because the Philippine Air Force desired rapid delivery. The incoming government effectively scrapped that requirement and now is potentially looking for 36 new aircraft. It will formulate a new bid once the requirements have solidified. As in Thailand, the F-16 appears the likely principal competitor.
Further afield, SAAB is pitching the Gripen in India, but any developments on the fighter procurement program will have to wait until after the national elections due to take place in late spring.
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