Overview

• On August 5, Thailand’s Cabinet approved the acquisition of four Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighters—three single-seat Gripen Es and one two-seat Gripen F—in a government-to-government deal valued at 19 billion baht.
• A formal signing ceremony with Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration and Saab is scheduled for August 25 in Stockholm to finalize the first tranche of a 12-aircraft procurement plan.
• Deliveries of the initial batch of Gripen jets are slated for 2029, initiating a phased replacement of Thailand’s aging F-16 fleet through 2035-36.
• The procurement package includes active electronically scanned array radars, MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range missiles and an offset agreement covering upgrades to two Saab 340B Erieye airborne early warning aircraft.
• The purchase will modernize the Royal Thai Air Force’s combat capabilities by replacing decades-old F-16s, bolstering sovereignty after recent border clashes with Cambodia.