BANGKOK — The Thai government has approved major military purchases including Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets and a Chinese submarine amid heightened regional tensions and recent military confrontations with Cambodia.
The weapons approval comes as Thailand faces intensifying security challenges, including disinformation campaigns that previously saw Cambodian state media falsely claim Sweden had canceled the Gripen deal—prompting denials from both Swedish and Thai authorities.
On August 5, 2025, the Cabinet approved both the Royal Thai Air Force’s request for fighter aircraft and finalized a troubled submarine deal that has lingered for years. Unlike previous controversial military purchases, this acquisition faced minimal domestic opposition, reflecting broad support for defense modernization given current regional instability.
Fighter Jet Acquisition
The Cabinet authorized purchasing four Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets (models E and F) in the first phase of a comprehensive fleet replacement program, costing 19.5 billion baht ($602 million).
Deputy Defense Minister General Nattapon Nakpanich presented the proposal to address the Air Force’s urgent modernization needs. Thailand’s aging F-16 fleet will be gradually retired between 2028-2035 after 37 years of service, creating a critical capability gap.
Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, emphasized that without replacement aircraft, national defense readiness would be compromised.
The complete program envisions acquiring 12 Gripen jets over 10 years at a total cost of 60 billion baht ($1.85 billion). The Swedish aircraft were selected from 20 competing models through a government-to-government agreement, with the first four jets scheduled for delivery by 2029.
Submarine Deal Resolved
The Cabinet also finalized Thailand’s long-troubled submarine contract with China, resolving complications dating back to the military government of General Prayuth Chan-ocha in 2017.
The purchase of the Yuan Class S26T submarine, for which the Royal Thai Navy signed a contract with the Chinese company CSOC in 2017, was stalled because China was unable to procure the MTU 396 German engines specified in the contract when Germany refused to supply submarine engines due to EU arms export restrictions to China. This caused construction to stop in 2021.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai resolved the impasse by modifying the contract to use Chinese CHD620 engines instead, signing the updated agreement in June when he served as Defense Minister.
With Thailand having already paid 10 of 18 installments—totaling 7.7 billion baht ($238 million) or 60% of the total cost—cancellation was financially unfeasible. As one official noted, the government could not terminate the contract “both because of the money involved and not wanting to damage international relations.”
The submarine construction is currently 64% complete, with 40% of payments remaining at 5.5 billion baht ($170 million).
__________
Related articles:
