• 
• 

Published on October 21, 2007

Group Captain Monthon Satnukorn, the Air Force's deputy spokesman, declined to comment on the timing after an article in a US publication suggested there should not be an arms transaction while Thailand still has an unelected government.

However, Monthon said the multibillion-baht deal, approved by the interim Cabinet on October 16, was transparent and there was no inflated price tag as speculated.

"It's untrue that the price [for all 12 jets] was only about Bt20 billion. We've seconded senior officials to visit the manufacturer in Sweden and have had a thorough price comparison on various models," he said.

An Air Force source also said US-based Lockheed Martin, a major defence contractor and arms-maker, had recently asked in a letter to the Foreign Ministry why the Air Force had decided to buy Swedish jets.

"The letter, a copy of which was forwarded to the Air Force, noted that Thailand and the US had long been close military allies. At present, Thailand is also designated as the US's non-Nato ally," said the source.

"As a result, the US firm was wondering why the Air Force had not considered buying US-made jets, even though it previously acquired F-16A/B and F-5E aircraft from the US."

The source said the Air Force had earlier approached the United States, Russia and Sweden to purchase the new squadron to replace its ageing F-16E jets, which will be retired over the next two years.

However, Lockheed Martin appeared to be uninterested and inflexible on the pricing of its F16C/D jets. Later on, the Air Force decided to buy the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets, which are considered sophisticated and good value for money.

"I guess the US private sector has asked for the reasons because we are a long-time buyer of US-made jets," said the source

"However, we're not worried, even though the US government might step up pressure on the Swedish government not to sell the jets to Thailand during this juncture due to last year's coup.

"At this stage, we plan to sign only a memorandum of understanding with the Swedish maker, while a contract will be signed later after the country has a new elected government.

"On the allegedly inflated price tag, I guess it's a misunderstanding because there is the basic price plus a wide range of sophisticated options, such as weapon or radar systems. It's like buying a car such as a Fortuner, which has so many options."