Page 28 - ADT JULY - AUGUST 2022 Online Magazine

A Force

to Reckon

With [ COUNTRY FOCUS THAILAND ]

THAILAND MOVES INTO TOP GEAR
AS IT BOLSTERS ITS DEFENCES

By Jay Menon
A U.S. Air Force inspection team plans to visit Thailand to assess

Defence spending in Thailand is growing and the readiness of the Royal Thai Air Force to operate and maintain
is being directed towards expensive high-end the fifth-generation fighter jets. Tim Cahill, Lockheed Martin's senior
imports. The 10-year military development pro- vice president for global business, confirmed on the sidelines of
gramme entitled “Modernisation Plan: Vision the Singapore Airshow that Thailand had expressed interest in
2026” approved by the Defense Council in 2017, the F-35 fighters. However, "This will be a U.S. government policy
calls for the defence budget to grow from 1.4 decision." However, analysts say it is unlikely that the U.S admin-
per cent to 2.0 per cent of the GDP. The country istration will give green signal for the deal. Thailand’s growing
has continued to maintain defence spending military ties with China are one of the main reasons why the U.S.
with its annual defence budget of around US$7 would be reluctant to sell their state of the art aircraft to Bangkok,
billion since 2018. said Ian Storey, senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in
Singapore. “Thailand is a U.S. treaty ally, so it has a strong case,”
Thailand has allocated THB197.29 billion argued Storey. The Cabinet had approved a budget of 13.8 billion
(USD5.86 billion) for the defence sector in baht in January for the purchase of four jets.
2023, a two per cent decline from the previ- First Export AT-6 Customer
ous year. In 2021, the Thai government had The Royal Thai Air Force became the first foreign customer after
allocated one per cent of the country’s GDP it awarded a US$143 million contract to Textron Aviation for eight
to defence, which approximately amounts to Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine aircraft, ground support equipment,
US$6.9 billion. In the latest allocation, the Royal spare parts, training and other equipment. Thomas Hammoor, pres-
Thai Army (RTA) will get the bigger pie, with ident and CEO of Textron Aviation Defense, said that the Royal Thai
THB96.57 billion, while the Royal Thai Navy Air Force selected the Beechcraft AT-6 to conduct a broad array
(RTN) and Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) will of missions in support of border security as well as anti-smuggling,
receive THB40.32 billion and THB36.11 billion, counternarcotics and anti-human trafficking operations.
respectively.

Acquisition Programmes “THE RTAF IS A KEY U.S. SECURITY ALLY AND
In mid-January, the nation’s cabinet agreed in OPERATOR OF ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED AIR
principle to back the Royal Thai Air Force's FORCES IN ASIA PACIFIC. ITS EXTENSIVE MARKET
plan to procure four new fighters for 13.8 billion
baht (US$415 million) in the 2023 fiscal year to RESEARCH AND STRINGENT PROCUREMENT
replace the air force’s ageing fleet of F-16A/B PROCESS SOUGHT THE ALIGNMENT OF BEST COST,
Fighting Falcons. The RTAF seems to be inter- SCHEDULE, AND PERFORMANCE TO REPLACE ITS
ested in acquiring the Lockheed Martin built EXISTING FLEET OF AGING AERO L-39 ALBATROS
F-35 stealth fighter jets to enable the coun-
try “to stay in the same league of countries AIRCRAFT AND ADVANCE THE CAPABILITIES OF ITS
with advanced fighters.” The air force chief, FLEET WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY,” he added.
ACM Napadej Dhupatemiya, had previously
expressed a strong interest the aircraft and The contract for the AT-6 supports the country’s modernisation
seemed confident about the purchase since priorities and the mutual defence cooperation agreement between
the aircraft had become more affordable at the U.S. and Thailand, a company official said. The contract contrib-
US$80 million per unit. utes to the growth of Thailand’s aerospace industry, as detailed in

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