Saab's Gripen jet together with Erieye surveillance system. (Gripen)

08:37 GMT, August 28, 2008 The Swedish-Thai government-to-government agreement on the delivery of six JAS 39C/D Gripen multirole fighter aircraft is under investigation by the Thai House armed services committee. The agreement with an estimated value of nearly €400 million ($590 million) was signed last February by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). It also included one Saab 340 Erieye surveillance system and one Saab 340 training and transport aircraft.

The intention of the RTAF was to replace its ageing F-5 aircraft fleet at the beginning of 2011. However, the House committee chairman, Mr. Somchai Phetprasert last week raised the issue in parliament saying that it remained to be seen how cost-effective the Gripen fighters would ultimately be, given the high price of €63 million (US$93 million) each. He compared the price with the order from South Africa which ordered 26 Gripen for €28 million ($42 million) each and feared also the cost of maintaining the airworthiness of the Swedish aircraft.

The chairman of the House committee sees also a problem regarding the compatibility of the Swedish jets with the current air force facilities, equipment and personnel. He said that most of Thai Air Force pilots and crew were trained in the use of American weapon systems, software and aviation technology. Members of the Thai Parliament considers the much cheaper solution to refurbish and upgrade the F-5 Tiger fighters instead of replacing them with the Gripens. "They will continue to do an adequate job”, they said.

Officers of the Royal Thai Air Force fear that existing repair and maintenance programmes for the F-5s would have to be terminated to meet the costly payments for the Swedish jet, along with some logistic support projects. Beyond that support programmes for the F-16 fighters might also have to be downsized.

The Commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Air Force, Chalit Phukphasuk, however, has rejected all criticism of the Gripen aircraft and the plan to buy them. “The Gripen jets use shorter runways for landing and takeoff than the American planes”, he told Bangkok Post earlier this year. "Gripens are more suitable for operations over the sea," he pointed out.