Thai air force expects update from the US mid-year on F-35 fighter jets

[Dan747]

The USA has been looking for remote forward bases to deploy-Reopen U-Tapao and let the USA use it for the purchase of two F-35's.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/1/2023 at 5:03 PM, mfd101 said:

even if RTAF pilots could qualify to fly them

Why would RTAF fighter pilots not be able to fly an F-35 with the appropriate training that no F-35 pilot goes without?   The air force already operates many fighter aircraft from the US and Europe.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/1/2023 at 7:06 PM, ThailandRyan said:

Will someone just pinch these simpleton and wake them up from this dream they are having.

You think that the RTAF doesn't already have US fighter air craft, why should they not get these?

[Liverpool Lou]

13 hours ago, futsukayoi said:

The hordes of Russian tourists here make it clear which side Thailnd is allied with over the Ukraine

You do know that there are Ukrainians here also, yes, and that Thailand isn't bringing any of the Russians here, they're all here voluntarily, same as Ukrainian visitors?

[Liverpool Lou]

12 hours ago, ozfarang said:

So there is no need for Thailand to purchase 2 aircraft if they will only used for training and exercises with other allies.

 

Very expensive way of running a small air force

Something that shouldn't be concerning you unless you're involved in the RTAF budgeting programme.

[Liverpool Lou]

11 hours ago, ozfarang said:

Yes, but will the US sell the sophisticated control software that will be used in US F-35's or much degraded system for Thailand

Obviously, if the purchase goes ahead, the aircraft will be supplied with whatever systems are necessary for them to operate.

[Liverpool Lou]

11 hours ago, ozfarang said:

With these eight countries as program partners for the F-35, the US, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada. 

Countries who operate or have ordered the F35

Australia,Belgium,Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland,Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

 

Thailands chance being on the list in the future is questionable, if not highly unlikely.

Why?

[ozfarang]

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Something that shouldn't be concerning you unless you're involved in the RTAF budgeting programme.

It doesn't LL

[ozfarang]

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Obviously, if the purchase goes ahead, the aircraft will be supplied with whatever systems are necessary for them to operate.

Of course LL

[ozfarang]

2 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Why?

Cost LL

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, billd766 said:

F35 and no updated weapons or avionics? No advanced missile systems or weapons of any kind.

Really?  You know the terms of the proposed contract?

[ozfarang]

Thanks LL for responding to all my posts

[ozfarang]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really?  You know the terms of the proposed contract?

Do you LL?

Edited January 2, 2023 by ozfarang

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

You seem to be the only supporter (on this forum) of this planned purchase

He's not.  Even if he was, being in the minority here is not a bad place to be.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Again, what would have been the 'sound reasoning' for acquiring that aircraft carrier?

No one has said that there was sound reasoning behind that (irrelevant to this F-35 thread) acquisition.

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, billd766 said:

Just supplying the aircraft is easy. However the training of extra air crews is lengthy and expensive let alone training the ground crews and providing spares, tools and backup is also lengthy and expensive.

That'd be all part of any sale package...obviously.

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Just one more thing to consider is the helmet for the F-35 is over $200,000.  

What the heck. Shoot for the moon and request to purchase the B-21 Raider as well.  I believe this aircraft will cost over $100,000 per hour to operate. 

Apparently not...

• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: $41,986/hourhttps://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

[Liverpool Lou]

26 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

32 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Something that shouldn't be concerning you unless you're involved in the RTAF budgeting programme.

It doesn't LL

I know.

[ozimoron]

1 hour ago, Nsp64 said:

Because their health system works, education is good,  poverty minimal,  social welfare high.

In other words,  their house is in order,  so they can buy planes because they've fulfilled their primary obligations to the electorate.

Completely the opposite to Thailand. 

 

Your argument was that Thailand wasn't facing a realistic threat. That situation applies to most other countries as well. You're just deflecting here. You can't make that argument as a criticism for Thailand wanting those planes and dismiss it for other countries because they apparently have money to waste in your opinion.

[Liverpool Lou]

26 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

29 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Why?

Cost

If the cost was a prohibitive obstacle they, obviously, wouldn't be going ahead with the proposal.

[Liverpool Lou]

26 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

Thanks LL for responding to all my posts

I'm glad that I'm being appreciated.  Consider yourself honoured.

[Liverpool Lou]

27 minutes ago, ozfarang said:

28 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really?  You know the terms of the proposed contract?

Do you LL?

No, but then I wasn't suggesting that I knew what would be supplied to the RTAF as the poster to whom I responded suggested did.

[billd766]

30 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really?  You know the terms of the proposed contract?

Don't you? It was published a while ago in the Thai newspapers.

[herfiehandbag]

13 hours ago, ozimoron said:

Submarines are not intended to operate in the Gulf. You might have considered the Andaman sea. Most western allied countries military purchases are intended to interoperate with each other and the US. The 35 is no different. They will not buy many and would be used more for training and exercises than intended for combat.

Yet the submarine base, headquarters and training centre is at the very top of the Gulf of Thailand.To reach the Andaman sea they would have to pass down the coast of Malaysia, round Singapore and through the Malacca Straits. Areas in which submarine activities are heavily monitored. Now I'm no naval expert (simple infantryman me) but that seems a bit silly.

 

Similarly spending an awful lot of money on two very advanced jet fighters, with no weapon systems fitted, for training and exercises when they are not capable of combat or meaningful training ( no weapons) seems a bit silly.

[billd766]

42 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

That'd be all part of any sale package...obviously.

Not necessarily.

 

It depends on what you are buying and that will be laid out in the contract between the Thai government and Lockheed-Martin.

 

Thailand wants to buy two F35s. Training aircrew, groundcrew and support equipment will come under separate contracts.

 

There are NO 2 seat trainer F35s, so long before any Thai pilot goes solo there 

 

Aircrew training will probably be done under contract to the US Air Force. The groundcrew training may be done the same way or perhaps by a different company.

 

There is no your word, obviously, about it at all.

 

Nothing is free nowadays.

 

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35-lightning-ii-training-systems.html

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by billd766
corrected some bad spelling

[ozimoron]

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Not necessarily.

 

It depends on what you are buying and that will be laid out in the contract between the Thai government and Lockheed-Martin.

 

Thailand wants to buy two F35s. Training aircrew, groundcrew and support equipment will come under separate contracts.

 

There are NO 2 seat trainer F35s, so long before any Thai pilot goes solo there 

 

Aircrew training will probably be done under contract to the US Air Force. The groundcrew training may be done the same way or perhaps by a different company.

 

There is no your word, obviously, about it at all.

 

Nothing is free nowadays.

 

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/f-35-lightning-ii-training-systems.html

They have flight training simulators so it won't take Thai airmen any longer to train than a US airman.

 

Why does there necessarily need to be an additional contract for ground crew and support? I would expect those to be trained in the US as well, maybe even in Singapore.

 

 

[Harsh Jones]

15 hours ago, ozimoron said:

We'll have to agree to disagree. The F35 is the most advanced aircraft in the world currently. Buying anything else would be buying obsolescence.

[sqwakvfr]

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Apparently not...

• F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: $41,986/hourhttps://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a41956551/cost-per-hour-to-fly-us-military-aircraft/

 

The B-21 is the US Air Force newest Stealth Bomber set to replace the B-2 Spirit. Just about everyone knows the per hour cost to operate the F-35.  The acquisition cost for the advanced helmet that the pilot of the F-35 wears is over $200,000.  This cost does not factor into the per hour cost to fly the JSF F-35. 

[bendejo]

If the US goes through with the sale anything classified about it will no longer be -- you'll be able to set your stopwatch the moment the last Yank is no longer watching.  There will be an auction for first peek, mostly likely Russia or China.  Or Iran. 

Iran?  You've heard about the Russians using Iranian drones.  Ever wonder how Iran got into the drone business?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–U.S._RQ-170_incident

 

 

[ozimoron]

8 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

While both fighters are designed to be stealthy there is no question that the F-35 is more effective.

 

https://www.operationmilitarykids.org/f-35-vs-su-57-differences/