Thailand Orders Four Saab Gripen Fighter Jets in $550M Deal with Sweden

Sweden has finalized a 5.3 billion kronor ($550 million) contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for the delivery of four Saab Gripen E/F fighter aircraft to Thailand, with handovers scheduled from 2025 to 2030.

The deal, signed in Stockholm, includes three Gripen E and one Gripen F, together with equipment, training, and support. Saab also reached a parallel agreement with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to provide an offset package featuring technology transfers, industrial cooperation, and new investments in Thailand’s economy.

Thailand’s order comes under the Peace Burapha program and will replace aging U.S.-made F-16A/B Block 15 jets of 102 Squadron at Korat, first acquired in the late 1990s. The RTAF plans to retire its entire F-16 fleet by 2035, including 18 aircraft that have undergone mid-life upgrades.

The RTAF currently operates a squadron of Gripen C/D fighters, which saw reported combat use during a July 2025 border conflict with Cambodia — the first operational deployment of the type. The incident triggered scrutiny in Sweden over arms export rules, which traditionally restrict sales to states engaged in conflict. Sweden’s recent NATO membership, however, has prompted a review of those regulations.

Colombia, Peru, and Canada are currently evaluating the E/F model.