The first Royal Thai Air Force Gripen E/F fighter jet has officially entered the production line at SAAB. Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal Sek San, Commander of the Air Force, flew to Sweden to monitor progress and plan the second batch.
13 May 2026 GMT+7 Air Chief Marshal Sek San Kantha, Commander of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) in his capacity as Chairman of the Thailand-Sweden Joint Executive Committee at the government level, accompanied by the executive committee, attended a progress meeting on the Phase 1 Gripen E/F fighter jet procurement project. The meeting took place at the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden, where he represented the Thai government under the purchase contract and held discussions with Ms. Eva Hagwall, FMV Deputy Director General, on continued future cooperation.
Reporters have noted that the Royal Thai Air Force signed a contract to procure four Gripen E/F fighter jets under Phase 1, named “Peace Burapha 1,” in August 2025, valued at 19.5 billion baht. The contract was signed jointly with FMV (Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) and SAAB of Sweden.
Regarding Phase 1 of the project, the budget covers fiscal years 2025-2029, with deliveries scheduled to be phased through 2029. Phase 2 is planned for fiscal year 2028, with an additional four jets, aiming for a total squadron of 12 to replace the F-16 A/B fleet based at Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
Reporters also noted that currently, the first Gripen E/F jet procured by the Royal Thai Air Force has entered the production line at SAAB’s facility in Linköping.
