TSAMTO, July 24th. According to a source in the Bangkok Post newspaper, the US authorities have proposed to reduce the interest rate on the loan for the purchase of F-16 fighter jets for the Thai Air Force.
Thus, the United States is trying to interest the Thai government so that eventually the authorities of this country will give preference to American-made aircraft as part of the ongoing tender.
The proposal came after the Thai Air Force Command announced last week that it was considering purchasing Gripen fighters instead of the F-16, citing the results of an evaluation by the procurement commission, which showed that the Swedish aircraft was more in line with the requirements.
As reported by TSAMTO, in early July, Air Force Commander Marshal Panpakdi Pattanakul sent a comparative analysis on Gripen E/F and F-16 Block fighters to Defense Minister Soutine Klungsang and Prime Minister Sretta Tavisin.70 for them to make a decision and choose a winner. The commander recommended choosing Swedish-made aircraft.
As a source told the Bangkok Post, shortly after this statement it became known that the United States immediately offered to reduce interest rates on a loan for the purchase of F-16 Block aircraft.70/72 from 5% to 3.5% and extend its repayment period.
According to the source, the Thai Defense minister is due to visit the United States soon, during which additional negotiations on the sale of the F-16 will take place.
In turn, Air Force Commander Panpakdi Pattanakul intends to take part in the Royal Military Air Tattoo 2024 exhibitions and the Farnborough International Airshow.
Now there is interest in what offer Saab will make to the Thai authorities in order to compete with the United States. At the moment, neither the Minister of Defense nor the Prime Minister has decided on the winner of the tender.
As reported by TSAMTO, over the past two years, the Thai Air Force Command has been implementing a project to purchase new combat aircraft, which should replace the 12 obsolete F-16s in service.
The American F-16 Unit is considered as the main contenders.70/72 and the Swedish JAS-39E/F Gripen.
The first F-16 fighter jets Block.15 command of the Thai Air Force received in 1988. There are still 49 fighters of this type in service, including 35 single-seat F-16A and 14 two-seat F-16B. On the other hand, the first six JAS-39C/D Gripen fighters were delivered in 2011, and the second batch of six aircraft was delivered in 2013. One of the Gripen was lost in a disaster in 2017.
In March, a new Thai Air Force White Paper outlined the requirements for new aircraft, but also noted the lack of progress in the implementation of the program since the release of a similar document in 2020.
Thus, the "White Paper" released in 2020 provided for the purchase of the first batch of their 12 new fighters in the period from 2023 to 2028. Another 12 aircraft were supposed to be purchased in 2028-2033. To fulfill these plans, the Air Force Command was supposed to start implementing the project in 2023, but the deadlines were violated. The updated White Paper of 2024 indicates that it is planned to purchase 12-14 new aircraft in the period from 2025 to 2034.
