Thai Air Force to Replace Old F-16s With Swedish Fighter Jets
- Decision also considered ‘self dependency’ in upgrading fleet
- Gripen to replace nearly four decades old F-16 fighter jets
A Saab Gripen fighter jet.
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The Royal Thai Air Force will purchase an undisclosed number of Swedish Gripen fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of US-made F-16s, according to its statement on Tuesday.
Thailand will go with Saab AB’s JAS 39 Gripen E/F jets to replace the F-16 A/B’s that have been in service since 1988, the air force said. The decision was made after careful consideration as the Southeast Asian nation seeks a value approach to modernizing its military in a way that will also boost “self-dependency.”