Thailand Opts for Gripen Jets Over F-16s in Defence Upgrade

[PomPolo]

55 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

They already have 11 Gripen aircraft in their inventory so this takes them to 15 in total!

Very true and initially the plan was to buy another 12 to 14 new Gripen E/F fighters, with a budget of 19 billion baht between 2025 and 2029.
They already have 51 F16's not really a bad sized air force for a country with no enemies!
As mentioned in previous posts I think there could be more socially beneficial usages for that amount of money.
 

[Purdey]

I doubt Thailand ever expects a full out war with anyone so something that can land on roads and offer a taxi service is enough. 

[Gottfrid]

22 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

 

How many do they need to control their citizens? Can they more effectively strafe crowds of democratic citizens better with these?

Yep! That´s right. The next coup will be an air strike!

[Gottfrid]

45 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

It depends on who the adversary is and what equipment they are using. I thought that an evident military expert like you would know that

Where did I say that I am a military expert? Where do you get that from?

[John Drake]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, also the Deputy Prime Minister, announced the 19 billion baht (£437 million) plan to procure four new fighter jets aimed at bolstering national defence.

 

 

Incoming from Trump and the US: new tariffs on 19 billion baht x 2 for Thai exports to the US.

[MikeandDow]

20 minutes ago, Purdey said:

I doubt Thailand ever expects a full out war with anyone so something that can land on roads and offer a taxi service is enough. 

The last full out war Thailand was in was WW2 and they only lasted 2 days and surrended !!!

[Yagoda]

20 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Where did I say that I am a military expert? Where do you get that from?

Well you made a comment on the military usefulness of 4 (more) jets. Clearly you have some expertise to make such a comment.

 

You arent good with sarcasm either.

[Gottfrid]

8 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Well you made a comment on the military usefulness of 4 (more) jets. Clearly you have some expertise to make such a comment.

 

You arent good with sarcasm either.

So, that makes you a political expert, as you are so hooked on Trump, right?

[connda]

Now that Thailand is a BRICS partner country with the next step being full membership like Indonesia just received, I imagine that Thailand want to detach itself from being too interconnected with the US.  F16 jets means a US military and US aerospace/weapons manufacturers presence in Thailand for the foreseeable future.  Thailand has other plans as it aligns with the BRICS nations.  I'm sorta surprised they didn't opt for Sukhoi jets.

[Yagoda]

47 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

So, that makes you a political expert, as you are so hooked on Trump, right?

What does Trump have to do with my qualifications and bonafides, which, based on your silly remark, are clearly more impressive than yours.

[bendejo]

If there were to be a major international incident it's quite possible a US aircraft carrier would be right there in the gulf, or adjacent to it. 

 

[Gottfrid]

2 hours ago, Yagoda said:

What does Trump have to do with my qualifications and bonafides, which, based on your silly remark, are clearly more impressive than yours.

Just go play with somebody else.

[scottiejohn]

4 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

I'm not sure you can read and....understand:

https://aviationweek.com/defense/budget-policy-operations/us-thai-military-alliance-crossroads

If you read the article you linked you will see that it was the F35 that the US denied and in it's place they offered the F16 among other options;

"The U.S. has reportedly offered to sell Thailand its Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 and Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighters instead of the F-35, although the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) may opt instead for another fleet of Saab Gripen fighters."

 

From the OP;

 "Despite a competitive offer including a low-interest loan from the US government, the RTAF has favoured the Gripen, highlighting its shorter runway requirements and advanced features as pivotal advantages."

[Captor]

3 hours ago, connda said:

Now that Thailand is a BRICS partner country with the next step being full membership like Indonesia just received, I imagine that Thailand want to detach itself from being too interconnected with the US.  F16 jets means a US military and US aerospace/weapons manufacturers presence in Thailand for the foreseeable future.  Thailand has other plans as it aligns with the BRICS nations.  I'm sorta surprised they didn't opt for Sukhoi jets.

Plus that Gripen is the better aircraft.

[PETERTHEEATER]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Notably, an upcoming highway test for the Gripen is planned to evaluate its capability to operate without traditional runways,

How many utility poles does it take to stop a Gripen? Will the driver flee the scene by ejecting? Will the U-turns be wide enough. So many questions, so few answers......🤔

[newbee2022]

8 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

 

Read your own post where you said that Thailand should buy the Eurofighter, which is the most common jet in Europe.   Unless Thailand has suddenly become part of Europe why should that be an advantage?

As I said before:

Yeah, that's your problem. Reading and understanding

[MikeandDow]

59 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

As I said before:

Yeah, that's your problem. Reading and understanding

Be polite and respectful to other users.  there is no need for snide remarks

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

As I said before:

Yeah, that's your problem. Reading and understanding

Yeah, ditto

[newbee2022]

4 hours ago, Captor said:

Plus that Gripen is the better aircraft.

Better aircraft? Because it's cheap?

[billd766]

1 hour ago, newbee2022 said:

Better aircraft? Because it's cheap?

Neither is particularly cheap, but the Gripen is more expensive to buy.

 

New aircraft today cost around $70 million
Having been in production for so long, F-16 prices have, of course, changed a lot over the years. According to analysis from Executive Flyers, the early F-16A and F-16B variants (single and dual seat, respectively) sold in the early 1980s for around $13 million. The later improved F-16C and F-16D variants sold for just under $20 million.

Coming to more recent variants, the F-16E and F-16F have a starting price of around $25 to $30 million, but improvements and equipment can take this up to $60 to $70 million.

 

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet costs around $85 million. 
Explanation
The Gripen E is the latest variant of the Gripen fighter jet. 
The Gripen E is more expensive than previous variants. 
The Gripen is a non-stealth fourth-generation fighter jet. 
The Gripen is popular with smaller countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Thailand. 
The Gripen was originally designed to protect Sweden from Russia during the Cold War. 

 

Where the Gripen gains over the F16 is the flying costs per hour.

The Gripen fighter jet costs around $4,500–$9,922 per flight hour, depending on the model and inflation. This is cheaper than other Western jets, such as the F-16 and F-35. 

 

The cost of flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet per hour is around $22,000 to $26,927. This cost includes more than just fuel. 

[3NUMBAS]

who is the enemy ?