According to the fact that the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has a project to procure 12 new strike fighters to replace the Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Block 15 OCU and F-16A/B ADF Fighting Falcon, Squadron 103, Wing 1, Korat. But the United States has refused to sell its fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), to Thailand for the reason that the Royal Thai Air Force is not yet ready and it takes time to prepare. The same is true for the new Thai government after the election in 2018. 2023, the Thai Ministry of Defense has asked the Royal Thai Air Force to postpone the establishment of its fighter aircraft procurement project to the fiscal year 2025.
However, at the Defense & Security 2023 defense equipment exhibition at Challenger Hall 9-12, Impact Exhibition Center, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand from 6-9 November 2023, we saw a warm-up of the aircraft acquisition project. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Phanpakdee Pattanakul, and the Minister of Defense of Thailand, Mr. Suthin Klangsaeng, along with a group of senior officers of the Royal Thai Air Force and officials from the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, attended the Defense & Security 2023 is Korea Aerospace Industries(KAI), Republic of Korea who came to showcase their products are looking to presenting its KF-21 Boramae fighter jet to the Royal Thai Air Force, which has reportedly established a committee to study the selection of a new attack aircraft design.
KF-21 Boramae at Defense & Security 2023 exhibition (photo : AAG)
So far, KAI has built six prototypes of the KF-21, including single-seat units numbered 001, 002, 003, and 005, and twin-seat units numbered 004 and 006, which have been used in various tests. The Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) gave details of the KF-21 fighter jet project, saying initial mass production would begin by 2024 and the first phase of development would be completed in 2026. The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) will receive the first KF-21 Block I fighter jets from mass production in 2026, and a total of 40 aircraft in 2028, and will receive fighter jets, another 80 KF-21 Block II, for a total of 120 by 2032.
A representative of KAI, Republic of Korea, told the author that The company is able to offer the KF-21 fighter jet to the Royal Thai Air Force at a flyaway cost of approximately $65 million (it is understood that it may use the aircraft from the production line for the Korean military as well as the FA-50 of Poland.
However, when compared to other competitors that appear to be likely options in the project to procure a new attack aircraft to replace F16A/B, Wing 1, Royal Thai Air Force. The KF-21 is the only aircraft currently in development with only prototypes. While other previously listed options include the Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet, which although the US company Boeing has never attended the Defense & Security event in Thailand, the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 fighter and Swedish Saab Gripen E/F fighter jets. These are all machines that have been developed and are ready for production. While other options such as the Dassault Rafale fighter jet, France has never come to work in Thailand. Chinese J-10CE fighter jets and FC-31 fighter jets whose systems are not compatible with the Royal Thai Air Force and Russia, which is banned from participating, also doesn't have compatible systems.
However, the KF-21 can still be seen as a good option to replace the F-16A/B ADF fighters of Squadron 102, Wing 1, before transferring to Squadron 103. As it is a Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) that focuses mainly on air-to-air combat, limited air-to-air combat capability with the Meteor air-to-air missile that the Royal Thai Air Force plans to procure in the future and can use the IRIS-T air-to-air missile, which may include the AIM-120C air-to-air missile that the Royal Thai Air Force already uses. As well as the M61A2 20mm air cannon, which is already an in-house weapon of the F-16A/B, the KAI representative also said that his company is also able to offer customization and technology transfer according to the needs of the Royal Thai Air Force same as the 2nd Battalion T-50TH Golden Eagle.
(AAG)