The RTAF is set to evaluate the service’s Saab Gripens’ ability to operate from makeshift runways and highways in February. This announcement comes days after the Government backed the service’s intent to purchase next-generation Gripen E/Fs to replace some of its older airframes.
The Saab Gripen, famously noted for its ability to conduct rapid STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) operations from dispersed locations, is being tested by the RTAF (Royal Thai Air Force) in its ability to conduct operations from some of the country’s highways. The service views this as a critical aspect in its decision for the replacements for its F-16s.
The upcoming test, scheduled for Feb. 2025, will be the first time that a RTAF Gripen lands and takes off from a public highway to verify Saab’s claims that the jet can operate from runways no longer than 600 meters in length. Notably, the Swedish Air Force, which the Gripen was originally designed for, has already shown that the Gripen can conduct operations from airstrips as short as 500m.
These exercises are particularly relevant in future conflicts, where purpose-built airfields may be destroyed by the enemy and thus the ability to carry out operations from austere airfields becomes a must. The Gripen is praised for its impressive STOL characteristics and rapid turnaround times, which is indicative of its effectiveness in these types of makeshift operational environments.
The Government backs the RTAF’s decision to purchase the Gripen E/F
This comes days after Thailand’s government backed the RTAF’s decision to acquire the Saab Gripen E/F fighter over the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72. The RTAF said on Aug. 27, 2024, that it would like to purchase the Gripen E/F fighters, and two months after that, Saab confirmed that the Gripen E/F had been down selected and negotiations were moving forward.
“As the RTAF wants to acquire another squadron, I let the air force select the model they prefer as they know best which fighter jet is most suitable to defend our country,” said the defense minister. “The procurement should be completed by the end of this year. I will approve the RTAF’s purchase of Gripen fighter jets if the price does not exceed our budget, and a technological transfer is involved.”
Talks for the acquisition of the new fighter jets have been held for more than a year, and the main competitors for this deal were Lockheed Martin’s F-16C/D Block 70/7 2 ‘Viper’, the most advanced variant of the venerable F-16, and Saab’s Gripen E/F. The RTAF currently operates earlier versions of both of these fighters. Notably, the Gripen E/F may be integrated more easily with the Air Force’s other assets, namely the Saab 340-based Erieye AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) aircraft.
The Gripen E/F
The Gripen E is a significantly modernized variant of Sweden’s indigenously produced Gripen fighter jet. Powered by the powerful GE F414G engine, it is also equipped with a brand-new AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, IRST (Infrared Search and Track) system, and EW (Electronic Warfare) systems. With 10 hardpoints for carrying various munitions, it is almost an entirely new platform.
As part of the Gripen E/F series, there is also a project called Gripen Maritime. This project is intended as a future carrier-based fighter for both STOBAR (Short Take Off Barrier Arrested Landing) and CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off Barrier Arrested Landing) operations.
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Thailand is set to become the second export customer for the Gripen E/F after Brazil. Saab signed a contract with Brazil for 36 Gripen E/Fs in 2014, with a longer-term requirement for an additional 72 jets. The Swedish Air Force is also acquiring 60 Gripen E/Fs.
The Current RTAF Fighter Fleet
The RTAF currently operates a mixed fighter fleet comprised of Lockheed Martin F-16s in the form of A/B/ADF models, Northrop’s F-5 E/F/T, and Saab’s Gripen C/Ds. It is expected that the new fighters, when the deal goes through, will replace the oldest F-16s in the RTAF inventory, which were ordered back in 1987. The oldest airframes are operated by the RTAF’s 102 Squadron based in Korat RTAFB (Royal Thai Air Force Base).
Most of Thailand’s F-16s are are F-16A/B Block 15 OCU models, which serve alongside a smaller number of F-16A/B Block 15 ADFs. 16 ADFs were ordered in Jul. 2000, with 15 A models and one B model. Some of the OCUs were transferred from the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force) in 2005. The ADFs can be differentiated from the OCUs through the distinctively trapezoidal ‘bird slicer’ IFFs and a bulge at the root of the vertical stabilizer, both of which are not present on OCU models. Currently the service is reported to own 36 F-16As and 14 F-16Bs, the survivors of the total of 59 delivered to Thailand, composed of 52 ordered directly from the US and seven transferred from Singapore.
As mentioned, the service also operates 11 airframes of Saab’s Gripen C/D, composed of seven single seat C models and four twin seat D models. These have been upgraded to the MS20 configuration, and are also equipped with anti-ship weapons systems, namely Saab’s RBS 15 ASM (Anti-Ship Missile). The Thai Gripens are also equipped with Link-T, a RTAF-specific datalink system supplied by Saab, complemented by the two Erieye AEW&C aircraft in the service’s inventory.
Finally, the RTAF owns about 35 ageing F-5s as well. Although the RTAF is one of the last surviving operators alongside other air forces like the ROKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force), ROCAF (Republic of China Air Force), and the Swiss Air Force, the aircraft in the current fleet have been modified extensively and are thus very potent. The main modifications come from Israel’s Elbit and Rafael, who provided a new radar, electronic countermeasure, glass cockpits and the DASH III HMD (Helmet Mounted Display) alongside other similar systems to the F-5s. These are expected to be replaced soon, in future purchases of additional fighters.
Unlike other nations in the South-East Asian Region, Thailand enjoys warm relations with China, and does not see Beijing as a direct threat, thus meaning that its recent military revisions lack in scale in contrast to other countries in the region. For example, Thai military holds exercises with the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) highlighted by the recent Falcon Strike series of exercises in which PLAAF (PLA Air Force) and PLAN (PLA Navy) aircraft deploy to Thailand to participate in air combat with RTAF assets. US-made assets are not allowed to participate in these exercises. However, Thailand also stays friendly with the US, describing its friendships with both the US and China as a ‘balancing act’.
