Thailand awards IRIS-T support contract to Diehl Defence

The IRIS-T is a short-range, all‐aspect infrared-homing missile that can travel at speeds in excess of Mach 3 and has a maximum range of 25 km. (Diehl Defence)

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has signed a support contract with Diehl Defence to enhance the operational capacity and use of IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missiles for its combat platforms.

The contract aims to enhance the “RTAF's capability for the operation of IRIS-T across their entire fleet”, Diehl Defence said in a statement on 16 October. “It covers integration support, technical logistic support, and live-firing support.”

According to the company, the contract was signed in Germany at the beginning of October. The company added that the contract will “widen the usage of the IRIS-T to further platforms”.

The RTAF has already integrated the IRIS-T with its primary combat aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Fighting Falcon, the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, and the Northrop F-5 Tiger II following the type's upgrade to the F-5TH Super Tigris standard.

Alongside its announcement of the contract, Diehl Defence also released an image of an IRIS-T with a Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T‐50 Golden Eagle in the background. The RTAF operates eight T-50THs, a sub-variant of the T-50T, designed for training, search-and-rescue, escort, and light-attack roles.

The T-50TH has armed capabilities comparable with the FA-50 light-attack variant but lacks some avionics. The RTAF awarded KAI a contract in May 2019 to further enhance the T-50THs for a combat role, with radar systems, radar warning receivers, and countermeasures dispenser systems.

Diehl Defence is already working with KAI to integrate the IRIS-T into the FA-50/T-50 platform, following a February 2024 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between both companies.