Thailand's Fighter Jet Decision: Boeing F-16, SAAB Gripen, or Korean FA-50?

 Thailand is considering acquiring a new fourth-generation fighter aircraft, with options including the Boeing F-16 and SAAB Gripen. Now, the South Korean contractor Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has thrown its hat into the ring, proposing its FA-50 light fighter aircraft to the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF).

KAI's proposal comes in response to an informal request for proposals (RFP) from the RTAF, aiming to replace aging Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs. While the FA-50 offers advanced capabilities at a lower cost and with timely delivery, the RTAF had initially shown interest in fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

The FA-50, an export success for KAI, boasts features such as Tactical Data Link and Precision Guided Munitions. It has been actively deployed by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) since 2013 and has garnered significant orders from countries like Poland and Malaysia.

Despite initial interest in the F-35, the RTAF aims to bolster its air power with potent fighter jets. The competition now includes the F-16 Block 70/72 Viper and SAAB Gripen-E, both offering advanced capabilities in their generation.

With the entry of the FA-50 into the contest, the RTAF faces a three-way decision, potentially reshaping its evaluation process and strategic considerations.

U.S. Navy Expects to Base Ships in Singapore

WASHINGTON - The United States, facing a rising China but a tighter budget, expects to station several combat ships in Singapore and may step up deployments to the Philippines and Thailand, a naval officer said.

ADM. JONATHAN GREENERT speaks during a ceremony in September at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. In an academic article, Greenet said the U.S. Navy will stations its newest littoral combat ships in Singapore. (MCS 2nd Class Shannon Eve Renfroe / Navy)

The United States has been increasingly vocal about defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where tensions over territorial disputes between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations have been on the rise.

In an academic article forecasting the shape of the U.S. Navy in 2025, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, wrote that "we will station several of our newest littoral combat ships" in Singapore.

Greenert said that the United States may also step up the periodic deployment of aircraft such as the P-8A Poseidon - which is being developed to track submarines - to regional treaty allies the Philippines and Thailand.

"The Navy will need innovative approaches to staying forward around the world to address growing concerns about freedom of the seas while being judicious with our resources," he wrote in the December issue of the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings.

"Because we will probably not be able to sustain the financial and diplomatic cost of new main operating bases abroad, the fleet of 2025 will rely more on host-nation ports and other facilities where our ships, aircraft, and crews can refuel, rest, resupply and repair while deployed," he wrote.

The naval officer did not directly mention China, as part of the usual policy by U.S. President Barack Obama's administration to publicly seek a more cooperative relationship with the growing Asian power.

But the United States has laid bare its concerns about China.

Obama last month announced that the United States would post up to 2,500 Marines in the northern Australian city of Darwin by 2016-17, a move criticized by Beijing.

The United States also has some 70,000 troops stationed in Japan and South Korea under longstanding alliances and has offered assistance to the Philippines which launched its newest warship on Dec. 14.

Singapore is also a long-standing partner of the United States. The U.S. military already operates a small post in the city-state that assists in logistics and exercises for forces in Southeast Asia.

In the article, Greenert described the Gulf monarchy of Bahrain as a model. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based on the small island which is strategically close to Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

"In 2025 the Navy will operate from a larger number of partner nations such as Bahrain to more affordably maintain our forward posture around the world," he wrote.

The United States spent some $700 billion on its military in the past year, far more than any other country, and many lawmakers accept the need for cuts as the Iraq and Afghan operations wind down.

The Obama administration has identified Asia - full of fast-growing economies and with a still emerging security order - as the key priority for the United States.

Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta all traveled to Asia in recent months to hammer home the message that the United States will not leave the region despite economic woes at home.

"As the United States puts our fiscal house in order, we are reducing our spending," Obama said in his speech in Darwin.

But he added: "Here is what this region must know. As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia-Pacific a top priority."

Naval power, critical to the rise of the United States and earlier Britain as global powers, is expected to remain critical in the 21st century.

China has developed its first aircraft carrier, which has undergone two sea trials this year. An image of the 300-meter (990-foot) refitted former Soviet carrier was captured by U.S.-based company Digital Globe Inc.

Switzerland Taps Saab's Gripen as F-5 Replacement

STOCKHOLM - Swedish defense group Saab AB said Nov. 30 it was "proud and delighted" over Switzerland's decision to purchase 22 of its Gripen fighter jets to replace its aging F-5 fleet.

"Given that Switzerland is known globally for applying (the) highest procurement standards and requesting state-of-the art technologies, Saab is both proud and delighted that Gripen has been chosen as the Swiss Air Force's future multirole fighter aircraft," Saab said in a statement.

The Swiss selection "confirms that Saab is a market-leader in the defense and security industry and that Gripen is a world-class fighter system that provides the best value for money", Saab CEO and president Haakan Buskhe said in the statement.

Gripen is already in service with the Swedish, Czech, Hungarian, South African and Thai air forces.

Saab saw its share price take off on the Stockholm stock exchange after the announcement. Saab closed up 11 percent at 120 kronor ($17.75) in an overall market that closed up 5.14 percent.

Thai Army Probes Series of Chopper Crashes

BANGKOK - Thailand's army has grounded a number of its helicopter fleet, a military official said July 25, after a string of deadly chopper crashes that some have blamed on angry jungle spirits.

On July 24, three troops were killed when a Bell 212 helicopter went down in Phetchaburi province, southwest of Bangkok - one of three helicopter crashes in the area in little over a week that have together claimed 17 lives.

The crashes had spooked the superstitious even before it emerged that the third chopper had carried the bodies of those killed in the second helicopter, which had in turn been sent to retrieve those who died in the first crash.

"It is a big loss," Maj. Gen. Pitaya Krajangwong, the Thai army aviation commander, told a press conference in the capital.

He said the first two crashes, involving a Huey and a Black Hawk helicopter respectively, seemed on initial investigation to be caused by bad weather, while in the third incident the Bell 212 appeared to have a tail rota fault.

"The other 20 Bell 212 choppers will not fly until they are well-checked.

Once it is found that there is nothing wrong, they can go back to missions," he said, adding that a formal 30-day investigation into the crashes would be held.

The Bell lost on July 24, which was travelling from Bangkok to a task force base in Phetchaburi, had a day earlier transported bodies from a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Tuesday, in which nine people were killed.

The victims were eight military personnel and a television cameraman.

The Black Hawk was found in dense forest just across the border in Myanmar on July 22, three days after it disappeared during a mission to recover the bodies of five soldiers killed in the Huey helicopter accident on July 16.

The strange sequence of events has sparked a range of theories among those living in jungle-heavy areas close to the crash sites, according to Thai media.

A number of military and civilians "believe bad omens are to blame" and have cited earlier predictions by a fortune teller, the English-language Bangkok Post reported July 25.

"The guardian spirits here are very fierce," said one villager quoted by the paper.

The Thai Rath newspaper said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment planned to hold a ceremony on July 25 to pay respect to spirits believed to be in the jungle.

Top army brass and politicians, including outgoing premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, attended a Buddhist ceremony for the victims of the Black Hawk crash in the western province of Kanchanburi on Monday.

Army chief Gen. Prayut Chan-O-Cha was initially due to travel to the service by helicopter but changed his plans and went by car, Pitaya said.

Gates To Reassure Asian Allies on Military Ties

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to reassure anxious allies in Asia this week that the U.S. military will maintain a strong presence in the region despite budget pressures at home, officials said.

The Pentagon chief will address the allies' concerns "head on" at a security conference this week in Singapore, said a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
As Washington moves to tackle a ballooning deficit and debt, Asian allies fear a scaling back of the U.S. military's role just as China's armed forces take a more assertive stance, defense officials said.
"There's no doubt that the region has that concern, and I think it's one that we're well aware of, and hence it's one the secretary will want to address," the official told reporters.
Gates, who departs May 31 on his global tour, will seek "to assure the region that we will maintain our commitments in the region and that we have both the capability in addition to the will to do so," the official said.
In a speech in Singapore, Gates is "going to talk in greater detail than in the past about what we in DoD (Department of Defense) are doing to make that more tangible, specifically in terms of U.S. presence in the region," the official said.
Gates will stress that the United States is "not distracted" from defense issues in Asia despite crises elsewhere in the world, the official said.
In his last international trip as defense secretary before he steps down at the end of June, Gates will use the speech at the security summit in Singapore to discuss U.S. policy on Asia and the underlying principles that guide it, officials said.
After arriving June 2 in Singapore following a stop in Hawaii, Gates plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, to try "to build on the positive momentum that exists in the military-to-military relationship right now," a second official said.
Last year's conference in Singapore was marked by sharp exchanges between Gates and senior Chinese generals, who said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan remained a serious obstacle to building a security dialogue between the two countries.
But officials have cited positive signs more recently, with Gates having traveled to China in January and the People's Liberation Army Chief of General Staff Chen Bingde making a week-long U.S. visit earlier this month.
During his U.S. tour, Chen struck a mostly conciliatory tone and said his country had no plans to take on the American military in the Pacific.
In his talks with Liang in Singapore, Gates hopes to renew his proposal for a civilian-military dialogue that would address "sensitive security issues," including nuclear weapons, missile defense and cyber warfare, officials said. The Chinese have yet to agree to the idea.
The United States has also disagreed with Beijing over the South China Sea, saying it has a right to sail U.S. naval ships in the area and backing calls from smaller countries for a diplomatic arrangement to settle territorial disputes.
The Spratlys, a reputedly oil-rich South China Sea island chain, is claimed in whole or in part by China as well as Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
At the Asia security conference, Gates plans to meet his counterparts from Japan, Australia, Thailand and Singapore as well as Malaysia's prime minister, officials said.
After Singapore, Gates was due to attend a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, where the air campaign in Libya and the war in Afghanistan are expected to dominate the agenda.

The only Giant in EAST ASIA

HTMS Chakri Naruebet (Thai จักรีนฤเบศร, meaning "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty"^[1]) is the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), and Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Based on the Spanish Navy's Principe de Asturias-class design and constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Bazán, Chakri Naruebet was ordered in 1992, launched in 1996, and commissioned into the RTN in 1997.
The carrier is equipped with an air group of V/STOL aircraft and helicopters, and was intended for patrols and force projection in Thai waters, disaster relief, and amphibious warfare support. However, a lack of funding brought on by the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis means that the carrier has spent much of her career docked at the Sattahip naval base. The carrier has been deployed on several disaster relief operations, although her other departures from port consist primarily of a single training day per month, and transportation of the Royal Family of Thailand, leading to claims that the ship is merely an oversized royal yacht.

Design

When Typhoon Gay hit Thailand in 1989, the Royal Thai Navy, as the main unit responsible for search and rescue missions, found that its ships and aircraft were unable to withstand the rough weather at sea.^[3] Moreover, the Royal Thai Navy needed a new, high-technology ship to modernize its fleet.^[3]
The original plan was to acquire a 7,800 ton vessel from Bremer Vulcan, but the Thai government cancelled the contract on 22 July 1991.^[2] A new contract for a larger warship to be constructed at Bazán's shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, and was signed by the Thai and Spanish governments on 27 March 1992.^[2] The proposed vessel was based on the design of the Spanish Navy aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias, which in turn was based on the United States Navy's Sea Control Ship concept.^[4][5]

Chakri Naruebet (top) underway with the United States Navy supercarrier USS Kitty Hawk, showing the size difference between the two ships.

Chakri Naruebet is the smallest aircraft carrier in operation in the world. She displaces 11,486 tons at full load.^[1] The carrier is 164.1 metres (538 ft) long between perpendiculars, and 182.65 metres (599.2 ft) overall.^[1] She is 22.5 metres (74 ft) wide at the waterline, with a maximum beam of 30.5 metres (100 ft), and a draught of 6.12 metres (20.1 ft).^[1] The warship has a ship's company of 62 officers, 393 sailors, and 146 aircrew.^[1] Up to 675 personnel can be transported; commonly soldiers of the Royal Thai Marine Corps.^[1][6]
Chakri Naruebet is propelled by a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) system.^[1] Each of the two, five-bladed propellers is connected to a Bazán-MTU 16V1163 TB83 diesel engine (providing 5,600 brake horsepower (4,200 kW), used for cruising speed), and a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine (providing 22,125 shaft horsepower (16,499 kW), used to reach top speed for short periods).^[1] Chakri Naruebet has a maximum speed of 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph), although she can only reach 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h; 19.8 mph) with the diesels alone.^[1] She has a maximum range of 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) with a constant speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and 7,150 nautical miles (13,240 km; 8,230 mi) at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).^[1]

Armament and aircraft

Chakri Naruebet is fitted with two 0.5-inch machine guns, and three Matra Sadral sextuple surface-to-air missile launchers firing Mistral missiles.^[2][6] The missile launchers were installed in 2001.^[2] The vessel is also fitted for but not with an 8-cell Mark 41 Vertical launch system for Sea Sparrow missiles, and four Phalanx close-in weapon systems.^[5]
The carrier's standard air group consists of six to eight AV-8S Matador V/STOL aircraft (an export version of the Harrier acquired secondhand from the Spanish Navy) and four to six S-70B Seahawk helicopters.^[1][4][6] By 1999, only one Matador was operable.^[7] Chakri Naruebet is also capable of carrying up to fourteen additional helicopters; a mix of Sikorsky Sea King, Sikorsky S-76, and CH-47 Chinook.^[1] There is only enough hangar space for ten aircraft.^[2][6]
The flight deck measures 174.6 by 27.5 metres (573 by 90 ft).^[2] A 12° ski-jump is fitted to assist the Matadors in taking off.^[2] There are two aircraft lifts, each capable of lifting 20 tons.^[2]

Sensors and countermeasures

The sensor suite of Chakri Narebet consists of a Hughes SPS-52C air search radar on the E/F band, and two 2 x Kelvin-Hughes 1007 navigational radars.^[2] There are provisions to install an SPS-64 surface search radar and a hull-mounted sonar, but neither has been fitted as of 2008.^[2][6] Fire control facilities are also yet to be fitted.^[2]
The carrier is equipped with four SBROC decoy launchers, and an SLQ-32 towed decoy^[6]

Construction

Work on the Thai carrier commenced in October 1993, although it was not until 12 July 1994 that the hull was laid down.^[2][5] Chakri Naruebet was launched on 20 January 1996^[5] by Queen Sirikit.
Sea trials were conducted from October 1996 to January 1997, the latter part of which was in coordination with the Spanish Navy.^[2][5] This was followed by aviation trials at Rota, Spain.^[2] The carrier was handed over on 27 March 1997, when she was commissioned into the RTN.^[1][2] She arrived in Thai waters at the start of August 1997, and formally entered service on 10 August.^[5]
Chakri Naruebet cost US$336 million to build.^[7]

Role and operational history

Chakri Naruebet is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by a South East Asian nation.^[5] She is assigned to the Third Naval Area Command, and her intended duties include operational support of the RTN's amphibious warfare forces, patrols and force projection around Thailand's coastline and economic exclusion zone, disaster relief and humanitarian missions, and search-and-rescue operations.^{[1][2][4][5][7]} However, at the time the carrier entered service, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis prevented the necessary funding to operate the ship from being available.^[5][7] The limited defensive armament compounded the problem; consequently, Chakri Naruebet is usually only operational for a single day per month for training, with the rest of the time spent alongside as a "part-time tourist attraction".^[1][5][7] The ship rarely leaves the proximity of the Sattahip naval base, and when she does, it is usually to transport and host the Royal Family of Thailand.^[1][5] Naval commentators consider Chakri Naruebet to be less an aircraft carrier and more the world's most expensive royal yacht, while the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a white elephant.^[5][7]

Stern view of Chakri Naruebet

Between 4 and 7 November 1997, Chakri Naruebet participated in disaster relief operations following the passage of Tropical Storm Linda across the Gulf of Thailand and the Kra Isthmus.^[8] The carrier's main task was to search for and assist any fishing vessels affected by the storm.^[8]
Flooding in the Songkhla Province resulted in the carrier's mobilisation in late November 2000.^[8] Chakri Naruebet was anchored at an island marina off Songkhla, and used as a base for helicopters and small boats transporting food, supplies, and wounded.^[8]
In January 2003, anti-Thai riots were sparked in Phnom Penh by incorrect news reports of a claim by a Thai actress that the Angkor Wat temple complex belonged to Thailand, not Cambodia. Chakri Naruebet was sent to help with any evacuation of Thai citizens from Cambodia.^{[clarification needed][8]}
Following an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean, tsunamis struck multiple regions around the Indian Ocean, including the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. The personnel of Chakri Naruebet were part of a 760-strong response by the Thai military to the disaster.^[8] This task force was involved in search-and-rescue around Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands, treatment of wounded and handling of dead, and repair work to schools and government facilities.^[8]
During the August 2005 filming of Rescue Dawn, a dramatised biographical film of US Navy pilot Dieter Dengler and his capture during the Vietnam War, the flight deck of Chakri Naruebet was used to represent the carrier USS Ranger.^{[citation needed]}
In 2010, it was involved in flood relief.^[9]

Insurgents kill four in attack on Thai military

NARATHIWAT, Thailand: Dozens of armed militants killed at least four Thai soldiers and injured several more in a raid on a military camp in Thailand’s troubled Muslim-majority south, an army spokesman said Thursday.
In an unusually brazen attack in the insurgency-plagued region, about 50 militants attacked the unit in Narathiwat province on Wednesday evening, sparking a gun battle, Colonel Banphot Poonpien said.
“Four soldiers died in the attack and seven were injured. Of these, four are in a critical condition,” he told AFP.
The militants took more than 50 rifles and about 5,000 bullets during the raid, setting off bombs and burning two houses and a tent within the base before retreating, a statement from the southern Thai army headquarters said.
The troops killed were said to be aged between 22 and 33.
Shadowy insurgents have waged a violent campaign in the southern region bordering Malaysia since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, both Muslims and Buddhists.
On Tuesday, Thailand extended emergency rule in most of the Muslim-majority southern region for another three months, despite rights groups’ concerns about the powers given to the military.
Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister who oversees national security, said the militants staged the latest raid to terrify local residents.
“They want to show their capability,” he told reporters, a day after he made a visit to the troubled part of the country.
A security force of more than 60,000 is stationed in the region, battling militants whose precise aims are unclear.
Critics accuse the government of failing to address the grievances of Thailand’s Malay Muslim minority, including alleged abuses by the military and a perceived lack of respect for their ethnic identity, language and religion.