F-35, here’s how Asia will make Lockheed Martin rejoice
More F-35 fighters for Asia? After Singapore, South Korea and Japan, Thailand aims to acquire Lockheed Martin's fifth generation fighter
Thailand close to buying Lockheed Martin's F-35s?
The Bangkok government has approved the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) plan to purchase new fighter jets. The Thai Air Force's goal is to replace its old fleet of Lockheed Martin's F-16A / B Fighting Falcons that have been active since the 1980s. EurasianTimes reported it.
An Air Force spokesman confirmed Wednesday that plans to acquire four fighter jets starting next fiscal year, with a budget of 13.8 billion baht ($ 415 million), were approved.
The decision comes after the Air Force chief, Air Force Chief Marshal Napadej Dhupatemiya, expressed interest in purchasing eight F-35 fighters from US Lockheed Martin, Reuters points out.
The Thai Air Force spokesman said the type of aircraft to be purchased will be decided by two committees tasked with assessing the suitability of different jets.
After Singapore, South Korea and Japan, Thailand could be the next Asian country to acquire the fifth generation US fighter.
All the details.
THE BUDGET APPROVED FOR THE PURCHASE OF 4 HUNTING
The Thai cabinet has approved a plan to purchase four fighter jets starting next fiscal year. The executive has allocated 13.8 billion baht (413.67 million dollars) for procurement.
DOES THAILAND OPT FOR THE F-35?
The approval follows a recent expression of interest by the Air Force chief, Air Force Chief Marshal Napadej Dhupatemiya, in the purchase of eight F-35 fighters.
The commander of the RTAF had therefore said that the Air Force required new fighters as the F-5 and F-16 had been in service for nearly three decades, resulting in higher maintenance costs and safety concerns.
"The air force will then elaborate its procurement plan and will be willing to answer any questions that may be raised about the project," the spokesman for the armed force said. Furthermore, the spokesperson pointed out that there is still no decision on the type of fighter aircraft to buy.
THE THAI AIR FORCE FLEET
The Thai Air Force currently operates 12 Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets and dozens of American F-16 and F-5 fighters, some of which have been in operation since the late 1980s.
INTEREST IN HUNTING LOCKHEED MARTIN
As Reuters recalls , last month the Thai Air Force number one expressed a preference for the F-35 as its price had fallen since it first entered the market.
The first F-35A cost $ 221 million in 2007, but as production quantities and know-how increased, the price dropped to around $ 79 million in July last year. Since its launch, over a dozen countries have chosen Lockheed Martin's fifth generation fighter.
Finland was the 14th country to opt for the F-35. The last was Switzerland. This summer, the Swiss Defense announced that it had selected Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning II as the next generation fighter. Canada's decision is also awaited: at the beginning of December the Canadian government announced that the two remaining competitors in the race to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-18 Hornets are the Saab Gripen and the Lockheed Martin F-35. .
THE EMERGENCY LANDING OF THE F-35 SOUTH KOREAN
Thailand could be the next country to acquire U.S. fifth-generation fighter jets in Asia after Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Currently, South Korea's fleet of F-35As are stranded on the ground after one of ROKAF's planes landed without nose gear on January 4. Seoul's Yonhap News Agency reported that the F-35 was taking part in a training flight when it encountered problems with its avionics system.
The South Korean Air Force plans to conduct a joint investigation with the US military, Yonhap said. South Korea plans to purchase 40 F-35As in total and has received more than 30 so far.
Lockheed Martin, who builds the F-35 Lightning II, told DefenseNews that he was "aware of the emergency landing at Seosan Air Base and is ready to support the Republic of Korea Air Force." According to Yonhap , this is the first time an F-35 has made a landing without a landing gear.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/f-35-ecco-come-lasia-fara-gioire-lockheed-martin/ on Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:08:21 +0000.