US F-16s lose out as Thai air force seals US$600 million deal for Swedish Gripen jets
During five days of clashes with
Cambodia that left more than 40 people dead, Thailand used its fleet of F-16s to strike military targets across the border.
It was the deadliest border fighting between the two countries in decades.
The purchase of four Swedish-built Gripen jets is part of a long-term plan to modernise Thailand's air force. Photo: Reuters
'The cabinet has approved the purchase of JAS 39 Saab Gripen to strengthen the Royal Thai Air Force and protect Thailand's sovereignty,' the air force said in a
social media post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
38 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Forgive and forget? Prabowo's pardons divide Indonesia
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has granted pardons to two high-profile political figures convicted of corruption-related offences, a move swiftly approved by parliament and framed by his administration as an effort to promote national unity. Advertisement But the decision has drawn scrutiny as both men were seen as political opponents of Prabowo's coalition during last year's election, with critics arguing it risks politicising the pardon process and undermining judicial independence in the world's third-largest democracy. The pardons, a constitutional prerogative of the president, include one for former trade minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong – now a prominent government critic – who was sentenced to 4½ years in jail and fined 750 million rupiah (US$46,000) last month over a corruption case involving sugar import policies from 2015 to 2016. Prabowo also granted clemency to Hasto Kristiyanto, a secretary general at the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) who was sentenced to 3½ years in jail last month for abetting bribery. PDI-P was the winner of last year's legislative election and the only political party excluded from Prabowo's massive coalition, which boasts 81 per cent of the seats in parliament. Thomas Lembong at the Central Jakarta Court on July 18. Lembong was sentenced to 4½ years in jail and fined last month over a corruption case involving sugar import policies from 2015 to 2016. Photo: Reuters Lembong's pardon removes his case, including his sentences, from public records, whereas the terms of Hasto's pardon eliminate his punishment. The House of Representatives approved Prabowo's clemency plan on July 31, just a day after he filed the request.
South China Morning Post
19 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why Cambodia nominated Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize
When Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol stood before reporters in Phnom Penh last Friday, he offered thanks not to China or Asean, but to Donald Trump , whose intervention in the kingdom's border dispute with Thailand, he said, merited nothing less than a Nobel Peace Prize Far from being a simple act of gratitude, observers say the move reflects Cambodia 's 'adept ability' to navigate the shifting fault lines of great power rivalry in Southeast Asia – and its determination to avoid overreliance on Beijing. Speaking in the capital on Friday, Chanthol publicly thanked the US president for his personal involvement in halting the recent deadly border clashes with Thailand and insisted that Trump deserved the Nobel. The award, widely regarded as the world's most prestigious peace accolade, is typically bestowed upon individuals or organisations judged to have 'advanced fellowship between nations'. Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol credited Trump with bringing about the ceasefire. Photo: Reuters But Sophal Ear, associate professor at Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management, told This Week in Asia that Cambodia's nomination was less a reflection of Trump's peacemaking credentials than of Phnom Penh's 'strategic positioning'. 'The gesture is largely symbolic, a low-cost, high-profile way to curry favour with a US president who remains unpredictable and transactional,' the Cambodian-American political scientist said.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
US F-16s lose out as Thai air force seals US$600 million deal for Swedish Gripen jets
The US$600 million agreement for the Saab JAS 39 Gripens was first announced in June as part of a long-term plan to modernise the air force's combat capabilities. During five days of clashes with Cambodia that left more than 40 people dead, Thailand used its fleet of F-16s to strike military targets across the border. It was the deadliest border fighting between the two countries in decades. The purchase of four Swedish-built Gripen jets is part of a long-term plan to modernise Thailand's air force. Photo: Reuters 'The cabinet has approved the purchase of JAS 39 Saab Gripen to strengthen the Royal Thai Air Force and protect Thailand's sovereignty,' the air force said in a social media post.
