BANGKOK — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is scheduled to fly in a Royal Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jet during a visit to Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima on 14 August, where he will receive briefings on border security, inspect military equipment and address air force personnel.
According to a report on Monday, the Royal Thai Air Force invited Anutin, who also serves as chairman of the National Security Council (NSC), to take part in the flight aboard a two-seat F-16 fighter aircraft based at Wing 1.
The prime minister is scheduled to travel from Wing 6 in Bangkok to Wing 1 by Royal Thai Air Force aircraft before receiving operational briefings on the air force’s missions, the security situation along the border, ongoing operations related to border unrest, and key research and development projects. He will also be briefed on the planned flight mission.
Anutin will then don a G-suit before boarding the F-16 for a sortie departing from and returning to Wing 1 airbase in Nakhon Ratchasima.
After the flight, the air force will hold a ceremony marking the successful completion of the mission, followed by a group photograph. Anutin, in his capacity as NSC chairman, is also scheduled to deliver remarks to personnel at Wing 1 and inspect military equipment.
If the visit proceeds as planned, Anutin will become Thailand’s second prime minister to fly in a two-seat F-16. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was the first Thai premier to take part in such a flight, occupying the rear seat as a passenger.
