Paul Chambers

Asian Angle | Why Thailand chose to buy Swedish fighter jets instead of US F-16s

The decision was driven by factors including cost, technology transfer, and a desire to avoid dependence on any single superpower

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Thailand’s move to buy Swedish jets was influenced by royal ties, military modernisation needs, and geopolitical considerations, marking a pivot in defence procurement. Photo: AFP

Paul Chambers

Published: 11:00am, 22 Sep 2024

The Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF) history of combat aircraft procurement provides insight into Thailand’s efforts to keep up with regional competition and “bend with the wind” with different great powers. This began with Siam’s 1930 purchase of Avro 504s from Britain, followed by purchases of Vought O2U Corsairs/Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighters from the United States in the early 1930s, and acquisitions of Nakajima Ki-27, Tachikawa Ki-36, and Nakajima Ki-43 from Japan during World War II.

During the early years of the Cold War in 1950, Thailand became closely aligned with the US and acquired most of its military aircraft from there. Then, during the Vietnam war in 1966-1967, the US began supplying F-5A Freedom Fighters to Thailand, which became the backbone of RTAF fighter aircraft until 1988 when Lockheed-Martin F-16s gradually replaced them. Ultimately, Thailand bought six batches of F-16s until 2004. All F-5s were meant to retire in 2010 and all F-16s by 2039.

However, the RTAF still uses both aircraft types in 2024 due to bureaucratic inertia, insufficient funds to update air technology and pilots’ abilities. In the early 2000s, the RTAF sought a new generation of fighter aircraft. Until 2005, the US dominated RTAF aircraft purchases, but that year, the ruling Thaksin Shinawatra government, seeking to reduce its military dependency on Washington while looking to save money, negotiated with Russia to purchase 12 Sukhoi SU-30 fighter jets.

After a military coup in 2006, the RTAF prepared to upgrade its F-16s. However, Washington froze defence help to Thailand, including aid for F-16 improvements, leading the junta to seek alternative aircraft sources. Instead of turning to Russia, Thailand looked to Sweden’s SAAB JAS-39 Gripen jets.

The Royal Thai Air Force’s Gripen aircraft perform at an air show in Bangkok in March 2013. Photo: EPA

Then-RTAF Commander Chalit Phukpasuk, like most senior RTAF officers and regal figures, preferred the F-16s. A senior Thai military official told this writer that most senior RTAF officers preferred the F-16 over the Gripen because this was the aircraft they had initially trained on. However, the younger intermediate-level RTAF officers found the newer Gripen more appealing.

In 2005, Sweden’s king visited Thailand with Swedish defence industry representatives. According to an insider, Thailand’s military junta favoured the Gripen due to the RTAF’s need for new aircraft, the close ties between the Swedish and Thai royal families, and the junta’s relationship to the royal house. By October 2007, Thailand had reached a US$1.1 billion agreement to buy six jets from Sweden. By 2012, Thailand had bought another six, likely influenced by Chalit’s appointment to the king’s privy council in 2011.