Thai Air Force awaits US Congress approval to buy advanced F35 fighter jets

[webfact]

File photo.. Source: Wikipedia

 

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is determined to procure two F35 fighter jets from the United States, despite resistance from opposition parties, and is now awaiting a response from the US Congress as to whether it will approve their sale to Thailand, according to RTAF Commander-in-Chief ACM Alongkorn Vannarot.

 

He admitted that he is not sure whether Congress will approve Thailand’s acquisition, as one of its close allies, because the plane’s technology is regarded as top secret, adding that the RTAF has no Plan B if the US response is negative.

 

The F35 is a multi-role fighter with stealth technology. More than a fighter jet, it has the ability to collect, analyse and share data and is a powerful force multiplier that enhances all airborne, surface and ground-based assets in the battlespace.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-air-force-awaits-us-congress-approval-to-buy-advanced-f35-fighter-jets/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-11-25

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[ThailandRyan]

When pigs fly it will get approved.

[Gold Star]

If Thailand wants to join the advanced F35 club, they have to pick a side and commit to buy the whole set. That means cutting ties with the Chinese. Not likely.

 

[RandiRona]

Right after you get German engines for them Chinese engineless submarines!

[stoner]

i feel the need....the need....for speed.

 

go get em mavrick. 

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

24 minutes ago, Gold Star said:

If Thailand wants to join the advanced F35 club, they have to pick a side and commit to buy the whole set. That means cutting ties with the Chinese. Not likely.

 

and Russia too

[happysoul]

Switzerland concluded a contract for 36 aircrafts. The population is 8.6M. Not jugging if Switzerland was right or not to buy them, but what the hell Thailand wants to do with only 2... Let's say the will have to use them for serious reasons, well shoot 2 down and voilà 555. I'm not a military professional but would rather go for something cheaper so that you can have a real fleet. Not just show off with one (as the other will not be operational as no preventive maintenance).

[ezzra]

Not wanting to belittling the Thai quality of men who suppose to fly theses super advance machines, but they're bit more complicated than riding a Tuk-Tuk...

[easton]

46 minutes ago, happysoul said:

Switzerland concluded a contract for 36 aircrafts. The population is 8.6M. Not jugging if Switzerland was right or not to buy them, but what the hell Thailand wants to do with only 2... Let's say the will have to use them for serious reasons, well shoot 2 down and voilà 555. I'm not a military professional but would rather go for something cheaper so that you can have a real fleet. Not just show off with one (as the other will not be operational as no preventive maintenance).

They really only need one since it is going straight to China.

[ozfarang]

1 minute ago, easton said:

They really only need one since it is going straight to China.

No. The chinese ordered 2.

 

One to dismantle, so they can reverse engineer it and the other to train each other to fly

[sqwakvfr]

Wow.  $100 million per aircraft(probably higher because Lockheed Martins gives discounts for those who order more), $5000 per hour to operate and the pilots have to the training course in Fort Smith Arkansas.  No insult to Arkansas or anyone who is from there but I drove through it once and decided I will never go back.   

[edwinchester]

Congratulations, 2 jets, about 10% of a squadron.

[ozimoron]

1 hour ago, happysoul said:

Switzerland concluded a contract for 36 aircrafts. The population is 8.6M. Not jugging if Switzerland was right or not to buy them, but what the hell Thailand wants to do with only 2... Let's say the will have to use them for serious reasons, well shoot 2 down and voilà 555. I'm not a military professional but would rather go for something cheaper so that you can have a real fleet. Not just show off with one (as the other will not be operational as no preventive maintenance).

Training, both for pilots and mechanics. The F35 is one of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft. There's no point in buying F16's or 18's.

[Pla Simon]

"the RTAF has no Plan B if the US response is negative."

 

Really ?

 

How about not bothering buying <deleted> you don't need ?

[brucegoniners]

I was just saying the other day that what this country really needs is fighter jets, lol

 

Who are they going to war against?

[Crossy]

Does the deal include engines?

 

That GtoG rice deal doesn't look so good now Thailand is second best ...

 

 

[Jerno]

Really?  More unneeded hardware for the Military. Pray-hoot must need the Military votes in their  Assembly to keep him in power.  Billions upon billions upon billions spent on Military, putting Govt coffers bare.  Why are they offering Gov't bonds to the public now?  No money left, yet spending more stupidly.

[PETERTHEEATER]

With only two they would have to rely on the US for repair/overhaul of Line Replaceable Units since it would not be cost effective to set up a Third Line  support for just two birds. Even Second Line (Intermediate Maintenence) will be limited. For two aircraft they would neeed a minimum of two spare engines which must surely cost as much as one aircraft.

If they did get the planes, I should expect them to be frequently grounded Awaiting Parts.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Wow.  $100 million per aircraft(probably higher because Lockheed Martins gives discounts for those who order more), $5000 per hour to operate and the pilots have to the training course in Fort Smith Arkansas.  No insult to Arkansas or anyone who is from there but I drove through it once and decided I will never go back.   

I think that you are a bit out on your flight costs.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter costs $41,986 an hour across all models, including the F-35A for the Air Force, the F-35B for the Marine Corps, and the F-35C for the Marine Corps and Navy. The Air Force in particular is stuck with the headache of replacing the F-16, which costs $26,927 an hour, with a plane that costs 25 percent more to operate, permanently raising costs. 

 

The other main problem is that normal aircrew will not get that much of a chancer to pilot them/it as all the air force generals will want to first and if one of them breaks one, Thailand will be buggered.

 

The 2 that they want to buy will not be equipped with any weapons or state of the art electronics, nor I suspect will they come with a spares and support package.

 

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/03/f-35-to-get-more-expensive-in-next-deal-program-exec-says/#:~:text=Under the terms of the,million during the same period.

 

The contract for lots 12-14, inked in 2019, included 478 F-35s for the US military and international customers. Under the terms of the agreement, an F-35A will cost $77.9 million in Lot 14, with the F-35B short takeoff and landing variant coming in at $101.3 million and the F-35C carrier variant at $94.4 million during the same period.

These prices are for contracts signed in 2019, 3 years ago.

 

https://executiveflyers.com/how-much-does-a-f-16-cost/#:~:text=The F-16 costs anywhere,country purchasing the fighter jet.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

A-10 Thunderbolt: $22,531/hour
F-16 Fighting Falcon: $26,927/hour
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: $30,404/hour
F-22 Raptor: $85,325/hour
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: $41,986/hour

 

[CANSIAM]

Won't happen, keep patching up the F-15's and 16's for reasons mentioned and Thailand does not have external enemies..........

[cowellandrew]

Here in the UK we have only 20 pilots trained to fly the F35 as they are recruiting ladyboys. LGBTQ, transgender, gender neutral, and the rest of the alphabet soup, you couldn't make it up!

 

☻☻☻☻

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, cowellandrew said:

Here in the UK we have only 20 pilots trained to fly the F35 as they are recruiting ladyboys. LGBTQ, transgender, gender neutral, and the rest of the alphabet soup, you couldn't make it up!

 

☻☻☻☻

Got a link to show as proof.....

[sqwakvfr]

43 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I think that you are a bit out on your flight costs.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter costs $41,986 an hour across all models, including the F-35A for the Air Force, the F-35B for the Marine Corps, and the F-35C for the Marine Corps and Navy. The Air Force in particular is stuck with the headache of replacing the F-16, which costs $26,927 an hour, with a plane that costs 25 percent more to operate, permanently raising costs. 

 

The other main problem is that normal aircrew will not get that much of a chancer to pilot them/it as all the air force generals will want to first and if one of them breaks one, Thailand will be buggered.

 

The 2 that they want to buy will not be equipped with any weapons or state of the art electronics, nor I suspect will they come with a spares and support package.

 

https://breakingdefense.com/2022/03/f-35-to-get-more-expensive-in-next-deal-program-exec-says/#:~:text=Under the terms of the,million during the same period.

 

The contract for lots 12-14, inked in 2019, included 478 F-35s for the US military and international customers. Under the terms of the agreement, an F-35A will cost $77.9 million in Lot 14, with the F-35B short takeoff and landing variant coming in at $101.3 million and the F-35C carrier variant at $94.4 million during the same period.

These prices are for contracts signed in 2019, 3 years ago.

 

https://executiveflyers.com/how-much-does-a-f-16-cost/#:~:text=The F-16 costs anywhere,country purchasing the fighter jet.

 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

A-10 Thunderbolt: $22,531/hour
F-16 Fighting Falcon: $26,927/hour
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: $30,404/hour
F-22 Raptor: $85,325/hour
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: $41,986/hour

 

I know I forgot a zero.  I meant approximately 50,000.   Also, without air to air refueling this aircraft has limited range and endurance.  In essence one it is airborne with ordnance it needs to find a tanker.  What next for the RTAF?  Buy a single KC-135 or KC-10?  

[Isaan sailor]

2 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

I was just saying the other day that what this country really needs is fighter jets, lol

 

Who are they going to war against?

Dirty Farangs.

[bangon04]

6 hours ago, ozfarang said:

No. The chinese ordered 2.

 

One to dismantle, so they can reverse engineer it and the other to train each other to fly

"More than a fighter jet, it has the ability to collect, analyse and share data" - and so does the PLA

[stoner]

just have congress send an email back to the thai govt.....free beer tomorrow.

[The Old Bull]

9 hours ago, ozfarang said:

No. The chinese ordered 2.

 

One to dismantle, so they can reverse engineer it and the other to train each other to fly

The Chinese most probably have one already. However it's the software that makes them unique. They will most probably get approved for a dumbd down version, looks the same but with a lot of features missing.

[hotchilli]

I think America can afford to let these two sales slip by... 

Thailand is too close to China for Congresses liking

[Gknrd]

I can just see it now. One of the planes sitting in a huge space, completely taken apart to the last screw. And Chinese engineers photographing and measuring  every part.

While in mother China it is being copied and re compiled.   

[ozimoron]

25 minutes ago, Gknrd said:

I can just see it now. One of the planes sitting in a huge space, completely taken apart to the last screw. And Chinese engineers photographing and measuring  every part.

While in mother China it is being copied and re compiled.   

They don't need to, China has it's own stealth fighters. The sensitivity is not the airframe but the software as was pointed out by another poster.