PUBLISHED on August 7, 2025, 10:05 AM EST – Key Points and Summary – Thailand has officially agreed to purchase four new Saab JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jets from Sweden for $550 million, with a signing ceremony scheduled for August 25.
-The deal moves forward just weeks after the Royal Thai Air Force used its existing Gripen fleet in combat for the first time ever during a brief border conflict with Cambodia.
-This purchase is part of Thailand’s long-term strategic plan to enhance its military capabilities and replace its aging F-16s, confirming that the jet’s successful combat debut did not derail, but instead solidified, the new sale.
More JAS 39 Fighters Coming to China’s Doorstep
Thailand has agreed to buy additional Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden, with a signing ceremony expected later this month, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) confirmed to Breaking Defense.
The signing ceremony is expected to feature representatives from the FMV, Saab, and government officials from both Sweden and Thailand, the report said.
This follows the brief conflict between Thailand and Cambodia in late July, which marked what’s believed to be the first-ever use of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets in combat.
Per Breaking Defense, the price tag of the deal is 19.5 billion baht ($550 million), and is for four E/F fighter jets, which will join the existing fleet of 11 JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighters.
The report called it “part of a broader initiative to procure 12 Gripen E/F jets,” and arrives alongside Thailand’s procurement of “Meteor long-range air-to-air missiles and upgrading its fleet of Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning aircraft.”
“It is, of course, very positive news for Saab and for Sweden that Thailand continues to show strong interest in the Gripen E/F as its future fighter jet,” Saab spokesperson Mattias Rådström told Breaking Defense.
The Bangkok Post reported that the Thai cabinet had approved the procurement of the four jets, under what was described as a “government-to-government agreement.”
The contract signing will take place on August 25, the report said.
“According to government sources, the procurement is part of the RTAF’s long-term strategic plan to enhance its operational capabilities and reduce reliance on ageing F-16 aircraft that have been in service for over 37 years. The modernisation plan runs from 2028 to 2035,” the Bangkok Post report said.
JAS 39 Gripen Fighters in Action
Breaking Defense had reported last month that the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) had confirmed JAS 39 Saab Gripen fighter aircraft were used in Thailand’s recent skirmish with Cambodia, which marked the first-ever combat mission for that Swedish jet.
That report came at an “awkward time,” as Thailand, Sweden and the associated entitites were at the time “in the middle of negotiations for a new tranche of Gripens to grow their fleet of 11 C/D Gripens.”
The mission made air combat history, according to the Breaking Defense report.
“As far as is publicly known, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen has now seen its first combat use since the first generation’s test flight 37 years ago in 1988. Previously, it was used only for reconnaissance and similar missions, such as Sweden’s NATO operation in Libya in 2011 and NATO air policing missions,” the report said.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) analyst Pieter Wezeman told Breaking Defense that Sweden had supplied the jets, “knowing that Thailand had major issues with neighbours Cambodia and Myanmar, an internal violent conflict, and even though the Thai military played a very questionable role in the problematic democratic development in Thailand.”
The Ceasefire Holds
Per Reuters, top defense officials for Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to allow observers from the ASEAN regional bloc to “inspect disputed border areas and help ensure hostilities do not resume,” following the five-day conflict in July.
“There will be an observation team of ASEAN military attaches based in Thailand and Cambodia, led by Malaysia,” Thailand’s acting defence minister Nattaphon Narkphand told reporters after meeting with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Seiha, Reuters reported.
“Thailand and Cambodia are neighbours with a shared border that can move away from each other … a resolution will allow our people to return to peaceful lives,”
The conflict, Reuters reported at the time, ended after President Donald Trump called Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, and Trump had made clear that Washington would not participate in tariff talks with either country until they agreed to end the conflict.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
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