Air Chief Marshal Paisal Sitabutr, the Air Force's deputy commander, could not explain the logic behind his reasoning but maintained the jets' supersonic speed would quicken one's good fortune, protection and prosperity. The unprecedented height would make the amulets stand out above the rest, literally and figuratively.

Moreover, Paisal told The Nation yesterday, the fact that such a "dignified" institution as the Air Force was behind the making of this series of amulets would boost its reputation and sales.

On Monday, the Air Force organised incantation rites for its amulets in Prachuab Khiri Khan. Paisal said the Air Force decided to join the Jatukham Rammathep fever because it wanted to collect huge sums of money for renovation of Wat Mahathat in Bangkok and the twin pagodas, Phra Mahathat Napha Methanidon and Phra Mahathat Naphaphon Phumisiri, on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai.

The renovation projects costing about Bt100 million are to commemorate the 80th birthday of His Majesty the King in December, he said.

"During these days, what else can be done to generate huge money better than Jatukham?" he said.

Paisal saw nothing wrong in the Air Force generating money by producing amulets and using the fighter jets in the incantation.

"We have fighters that fly regularly. We just asked the pilots to take the materials [to produce the amulets] with them. We did not hold any special flights for this thing," he said.

The Air Force's action bemused respected archaeologist Srisakara Vallibhotama. "Why didn't they take them up to Mars?" he asked sarcastically.

Srisakara questioned the attitude of the Air Force, which is a security-related institution, towards the Jatukham hype and said the process by which these amulets were created lacked moral authority.

"You are doing something against nature. How can things produced by an unnatural process contain Dharma of the Buddha, as Dharma means nature?" he asked.

Since last year, Jatukham fever has spread throughout the country, grabbing the attention of celebrities, politicians and ordinary people.

The Kasikorn Research Centre estimated that from late last year more than Bt20 billion had been generated by the Jatukham craze. The Revenue Department was considering whether to tax enterprises related to the soaring sales of Jatukham items.

The Air Force's incantation rites took place just a few days after the outspoken abbot of Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi, Phra Payom Kalayano, one of the country's most revered Buddhist monks, launched an edible Jatukham cookie to mock the craze for the popular talisman.