Saab has received an order for four Gripen E/F fighter aircraft from for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), announcing on 25 August 2025 that it had that day signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to that effect.
The order, which is for three single-seat Gripen Es and one twin-seat Gripen F plus associated equipment, support and training, was valued at approximately SEK 5.3 billion (EUR 480 million), with deliveries set to take place in the 2025-2030 timeframe.
Saab has also signed a contract with the RTAF to deliver a long-term offset package to Thailand as part of the country’s fighter acquisition plan. This will include significant transfer of defence technology and industrial co-operation with Thailand together with new investments across many sectors of the Thai economy.
The RTAF indicated in August 2024 that it had selected the Gripen E/F to replace its ageing fleet of F-16A/Bs.
“We welcome Thailand as the latest customer for Gripen E/F,” Micael Johansson, president and CEO of Saab, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Thailand is already a well-established Gripen user and familiar with the strengths that Gripen brings to the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Thailand has chosen the most modern fighter on the market with which to build its next generation of strategic, independent capabilities.”
The RTAF currently operates one squadron of Gripen C/D multi-role fighters that were ordered in 2008 and entered service from February 2011. Originally eight single-seat Gripen Cs and four twin-seat Gripen Ds were in service, but a Gripen C was lost on 14 January 2017 when it crashed at an air show
Once in operation, the new Gripen E/F fighters will operate alongside Thailand’s existing Gripen C/Ds, which all received the type’s MS20 upgrade in 2022. This featured both hardware and software upgrades to enhance the aircraft’s air-to-air, air-to-surface and intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities.
