Gripen and Saab 340 Erieye AEW for Royal Thai Air Force

At a ceremony at Saab’s factory in Linköping today, Saab unveiled the Thai integrated air defence system for its Thai customer. The ceremony was held to celebrate the contract between Sweden and Thailand.

Many prominent guests attended the event including Commander in Chief, ACM Itthaporn Subhawong from the Royal Thai Air Force, Gunnar Holmgen, General Director for the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), Sten Tolgfors, Swedish Minister for Defence and Åke Svensson CEO for Saab.

"I congratulate Saab and FMV for a job well done. I am really looking forward to see the Thai Gripen against the Thai sky" says Commander in Chief, ACM Itthaporn Subhawong."I want to congratulate Thailand for an excellent air defense system and I look forward to our continued cooperation" says Sten Tolgfors, Swedish Minister for Defence.

The Royal Thai Air Force has procured an integrated air defence system with Gripen C/D, the ERIEYE airborne early warning system and a Command and Control C2 system including data link communication. In combination with bilateral Co-operation mainly focused on technology transfer, this will provide Thailand with the foundation for an advanced network based defence system.

The Royal Thai Air Force will receive six of the latest version Gripen C/D multirole fighter aircraft at the beginning of 2011. One ERIEYE Airborne Early Warning radar system aboard a Saab 340 aircraft and one additional Saab 340 aircraft will be delivered in December 2010. One Command and Control C2 system including equipment for three ground based Radio sites will be delivered in March 2011.

The first Thai Gripen aircraft made its maiden flight on 16 September 2009 and Thai pilots, technicians and aviation mechanics responsible for maintenance and support of the aircraft have started their training at the Armed Force Technical School (Air Force) in Halmstad and at F 7 Såtenäs.

Posted in: AWACS,Fighter jet