Screenshots captured from a presentation video during the Statement of policy by the Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul for 2024, seen RTAF Lockheed Martin F-16B Fighting Falcon dropped KGGB (Korean GPS-Guided Bomb) at unknown area over the sea (photos : RTAF)
The Directorate of Armament of the Royal Thai Air Force has announced a procurement project Guidance-Extended Range Kits for 500lbs General Purpose Bomb, 10 sets with supporting equipment, credit limit 48,148,100 baht ($1,395,597) on 5 May 2022, and followed by a project to purchase another 10 sets with supporting equipment in the amount of 54,000,000 baht ($1,487,603) on November 11, 2022 from LIG Nex1 Company, Republic of Korea. Therefore, it is understood that at least 20 sets of KGGB satellite-guided cruise bomb sets have been ordered.
LIG Nex1 revealed at the Defense & Security 2022 defense equipment exhibition from 29 August - 1 September 2022 that the Royal Thai Air Force is the latest export customer to supply an undisclosed quantity of its KGGB satellite-guided cruise bomb systems for the second type of fighter and training aircraft T-50TH Golden Eagle, Squadron 401, Wing 4, a total of 14 machines built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Republic of Korea.
The KGGB cruise missile kits, understood to be delivered in 2023, can be mounted to the Mk 82 500lbs bomb without special modification. It has a maximum firing range of approximately 100km with a tolerance value (CEP: Circular Error Probable) of 13m. An important feature of the KGGB is that it can be equipped with Mk82 bombs produced in Thailand by the Air Force Ordnance Department and all combat aircraft equipped with the Mk80s series bombs do not require any major modification. This allows many types of aircraft of the Royal Thai Air Force to be used.
Including the fighter and training aircraft T-50TH, fighter aircraft F-16A/B/AM/BM EMLU and a fighter aircraft type F-5E/F TH Super Tigris that supports the installation of Mk 82 bombs without modifying the aircraft structure or additional command sets by recording mission information in advance to the Pilot Display Unit (PDU), which the pilot carries with him or her in the cockpit. Flying into a position away from the target, the PDU will wirelessly communicate with the wings and release the bomb that will guide the missile toward the target.
Static display of F-16B of 103rd Squadron, Wing 1 Korat, Royal Thai Air Force with its weapons and equipments (photo : RTAF)
The KGGB glide bomb set, which entered service with the Republic of Korea Air Force in 2013, has passed certification tests for use on a variety of aircraft, including F-4E fighters, F-5E/F fighters, and KF-16C/D fighters, F-15K fighter and FA-50 light attack aircraft.
18 F-16AM/BM EMLU Squadron 403 fighter aircraft also support the use of various types of high-precision guided bombs, such as the Lizard 3 laser-guided bomb, GBU-12 500lbs and GBU-10 2,000lbs Paveway II may also include GBU-31 2,000lbs satellite-guided bombs and GBU-38 500lbs JDAM too.
(AAG)