PUBLISHED: 15 Mar 2024 at 05: 00
Starting in the second half of this year, the Royal Thai Air Force will be looking to purchase either Swedish-built Gripen E-series fighter jets or US-made F-16 Block 70, according to ACM Phanpakdee Pattanakul, the RTAF captain.
He made the brief public while speaking to senior air force personnel yesterday at the RTAF headquarters.
The Gripen E-series and the F-16 Block 70 are the only options because it is impossible to purchase US F-35 fighter planes as originally planned, he claimed.
The air pressure is considering decommissioning three warrior squadrons out of the RTAF’s seven existing squadrons because of the time of their jets, adding that each regiment consists of 12 plane.
He claimed that the air pressure must keep maintaining the same number of combatants to assist both training and operations and to keep up with the number of fighters maintained by Thailand’s neighbors.
The new jet may replace the abandoned ones, he added.
According to him, a council has been established to determine which of the two fighter jet varieties offers the best value for money.
The air pressure requested 19 billion baht for the fiscal year 2025, which will start in October, to purchase the first four fresh fighter jets, according to a cause. The plane purchasing schedule should start between May and June this year if the request is approved by the government.
The weather agency’s white paper includes a list of its future development objectives, including the aircraft procurement initiative.
AMC Phanpakdee noted that another significant area of air pressure growth is the use of a master plan for using quantum AI technology, which combines advanced machine learning with quantum computing for data analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making, according to AMC Phanpakdee.
As the weather push reduces its personnel while maximising its potential, he said, this R&, D plan may be put into practice.