Saab has signed a SEK 5.3 billion (EUR 480 million) contract to deliver four Gripen E/F aircraft and an offset package to the Royal Thai Air Force.

On 25 August 2025, Saab announced it had signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to supply the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) with four Gripen E/F fighters. The order comprises three single-seat Gripen Es and one twin-seat Gripen F, plus associated equipment, support and training, with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2030.

Saab also concluded a contract with the RTAF for a long-term offset package to Thailand as part of the fighter acquisition plan. This includes significant transfer of defence technology, industrial co-operation with Thailand and new investments across many sectors of the Thai economy.

The RTAF indicated in August 2024 that it had selected the Gripen E/F to replace its ageing F-16A/Bs. Saab president and CEO Micael Johansson said in a company release that the company welcomed Thailand as the latest customer, noting that Thailand is already a well-established Gripen user familiar with the type’s strengths, and that the choice supports the Royal Thai Armed Forces’ next-generation, independent capabilities.

Thailand currently operates one squadron of Gripen C/D fighters ordered in 2008 and in service from February 2011. The original eight Gripen Cs and four Gripen Ds were reduced by one after a Gripen C crashed at an air show on 14 January 2017. The C/D fleet received the MS20 upgrade in 2022, which included hardware and software enhancements to improve air-to-air, air-to-surface and ISTAR capabilities. The new E/Fs will operate alongside the upgraded C/Ds.

(Source: European Security and Defence)