Saab receives long-awaited Thai Gripen E/F order

Saab has received a contract from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to provide the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) with four Gripen E/F fighter aircraft.

In a statement on 25 August, Saab said the order value is approximately SEK5.3 billion (USD551.3 million) and that deliveries of the four aircraft will take place from 2025 to 2030.

“The contract between Saab and FMV includes three Gripen E and one Gripen F aircraft as well as associated equipment, support, and training,” Saab added.

The RTAF confirmed its selection of the Gripen E/F in August 2024. However, other aspects of the procurement, including offsets and industrial collaboration, were agreed upon in May 2025.

According to Saab, it also signed a contract with the RTAF to deliver a long-term offset package to Thailand as part of the fighter acquisition plan. “This will include significant transfer of defence technology and industrial co-operation with Thailand together with new investments across many sectors of the national economy,” the company said.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs added on 25 August that the offset policy will strengthen Thailand's defence capabilities and open up “new avenues of co-operation in areas that are crucial for Thailand's long-term development”. This includes “education and skills training, technology transfer, food and agriculture innovation, green transition, and cyber security”, the ministry said.

The Thai cabinet approved the procurement of the first four Gripen E/F on 5 August with a budgetary allocation of THB19.5 billion (USD600 million). The decision was made about a week after Thailand ended a five-day border conflict with Cambodia.